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Campaign to End Loneliness

Campaign to End Loneliness

Published on June 25, 2015 by Elizabeth Atia

In collaboration with Sunrise Living.

Campaign to End Loneliness

Loneliness can be defined as an inequality between the number and quality of social relationships that we have and those that we want (1).

Loneliness can be divided into two types:

1. Emotional loneliness, when we miss companionship and our emotional needs are not being fulfilled

2. Social loneliness, when we lack a wider group of friends to spend quality time with

It can be a fleeting feeling, situational (ie: at Christmas-time) or a chronic, long-term ache.

Although loneliness can be felt by anyone, risk factors increase with age – including, but not limited to, bereavement, lack of transportation, poor health and mobility and lower income.

Research has shown that the effects of long-term chronic loneliness can be as detrimental to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and can be worse for us than obesity and lack of physical activity.

So why, in this day and age, are so many elderly people visiting their GPs because of loneliness (2)?

The Campaign to End Loneliness was launched in 2011 to tackle this issue.Β It is network of local, regional and national organisations and individuals working together through community action, good practice, policy and research to combat loneliness and isolation in the United Kingdom.

Sunrise Living, a network of communities throughout the UK, US and Canada, dedicated toΒ delivering resident-centred residential care, assisted living, nursing and dementia care services, are in the process of becoming official sponsors for the Campaign to End Loneliness.

Sunrise Living have just launched their own ‘Don’t Dine Alone’ initiative, aiming at raising awareness for the Campaign To End Loneliness and loneliness in the elderly. They have been asking bloggers, like myself, to reach out to the elderly in their community, share a meal and write about their experience. They hope that this will encourage our readers to do the same. To find out what other bloggers have been doing search for the #DontDineAlone hashtag on social media.

So I approached one of my elderly neighbours living on her own and invited her over for lunch. We went through the recipe cards on the Sunrise Living website and she chose two dishes she liked the sound of – Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup for a main and Bread & Butter Pudding for afters.

Butternut Squash & Lentil Soup

I made a loaf of fresh bread to go with the soup, and there was plenty of Yogi classic tea on tap. We spent several hours together, just the two of us, eating, drinking, and playing a game of Scrabble cards. She’d never played Scrabble before and I had to chuckle inwardly as she flipped card after card in the deck searching for the letters she needed to make the word she hand in mind.

Scrabble Cards

If I am to be honest, I think I got more out of our lunch date than she did. I spend so much time alone – with the children at school all day and everyone in bed early. It was nice to dine with someone for lunch instead of scoffing something quick over the laptop. Spending that time with someone who actually appreciated it really lifted my spirits.

I don’t believe it’s up to the government or local councils to be tackling issues of loneliness and isolation themselves. It’s up to us – neighbours, friends and family to touch base and spend that half an hour chatting about the weather and whatnot over the fence. That half an hour might be the only adult conversation someone has all day, I know for me it can be. The most important thing we can do is offer our time and companionship to those who need it.

To find out more about The Campaign to End Loneliness and support their work visit their website.

To find out more about Sunrise Senior Living visit their website.

If you want to be kept up to date on my recipes, occasional craft tutorials, adventure stories and giveaways then please subscribe to my weekly newsletter; it gets sent out every Monday morning if there is new content. Your email address won’t be passed on to anyone, you will never be spammed and you are free to unsubscribe at any time, no questions asked. Make sure you confirm your subscription or you won’t receive the newsletter – if it hasn’t arrived check your junk mail folder.

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Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary received payment from Sunrise Living towards the cost of ingredients to make a meal and a card game to play. All thoughts and opinions expressed are our own.

Hands image via Shutterstock. Sunrise Senior Living photo source.

Category: Sponsored PostTag: Campaign to End Loneliness, Sponsored Post, Sunrise Senior Living

About Elizabeth Atia

Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ursula Hunt

    July 2, 2015 at 12:19 pm

    Great to see you writing about this subject, the elderly are so often forgotten in respect of company

    Reply
  2. Hanna at Arctic Cloudberry

    June 25, 2015 at 11:03 pm

    What a lovely thing to do, well done! This is so important – thank you for posting and reminding that we all must look after each other and it doesn’t have to be difficult.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      June 27, 2015 at 9:19 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed the post Hanna. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Sarah (@tamingtwins)

    June 25, 2015 at 6:59 pm

    What a wonderful campaign. I absolutely agree with you that it’s up to us to make a difference and to help tackle loneliness. I volunteer for Contact the Elderly and as you say, I get more from it than my guests I think!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      June 27, 2015 at 9:20 am

      Good on you for volunteering! It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, isn’t it.

      Reply
  4. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy

    June 25, 2015 at 2:53 pm

    What a lovely thing to do. I totally agree with you that it is important for us as a society to help end loneliness by making more of an effort with the people that might need our help.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      June 27, 2015 at 9:21 am

      I feel there is such a demand from the public for the government to be responsible for everything when in reality it’s up to us, the people, to make the real differences in folk’s lives.

      Reply
  5. Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche

    June 25, 2015 at 2:39 pm

    What a lovely thing to do! And loneliness can affect everyone, not just elderly people, so you don’t need to feel guilty for enjoying yourself as much as she did! πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      June 27, 2015 at 9:22 am

      It’s a topic very close to my heart. I’ve battled feelings of loneliness for so many years so that if I can do something to help alleviate that in someone else, albeit briefly, I will.

      Reply
  6. Katie Bryson

    June 25, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    Such a great campaign to be a part of, as catching up with someone over a delicious meal is a great way to connect with someone and make the time for a chat. Like you I work from home and spend a lot of time on my own, so reaching out to someone else would feel really positive.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      June 27, 2015 at 9:24 am

      We all need to eat, and most of us enjoy good food – so it’s a great starting point for sure. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. Gingey Bites

    June 25, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    What a lovely lovely thing. I’m sure your neighbour got as much out of it as you did and to be honest, this has just made me realise I have not seen my nan in over 3 weeks so I must make sure I go round and see her at the weekend.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      June 27, 2015 at 9:24 am

      I’m sure she’d really appreciate a visit from you. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  8. K @ Eat.Love.Live

    June 25, 2015 at 10:30 am

    This is such a lovely idea. I bet it made your neighbours day and so nice that you got so much out of it too. K x

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      June 27, 2015 at 9:25 am

      I really ought to make more of an effort to spend time with other people. It’s the small things that make such a big difference in people’s lives.

      Reply
  9. Rachel

    June 25, 2015 at 10:12 am

    This is so lovely and such a good idea. We have similar initiatives where I live and a lot of people I work with spend one or two days a week doing various chores, cooking meals or simply just chatting to them.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      June 27, 2015 at 9:25 am

      It’s such an important thing for us, as a society, to do.

      Reply

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About Elizabeth

Adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Loves bikes. Calls Shetland home. Read More…

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“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.”

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