Labour Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales Joyce Watson AM is throwing her support behind Help the Aged’s new campaign to tackle loneliness among older people this winter.
JOYCE WATSON said:
“Whether we live in a town or a village we can all play our part in considering our older relatives and neighbours, particularly on these dark, cold winter nights.”
New research from Help the Aged has revealed that 1.4 million older people in the UK feel socially isolated, and nearly 300,000 have gone a full month in the last year without speaking to any family or neighbours.
Joyce added: “The fact that more than three quarters of a million older people say they are often or always lonely paints a bleak picture of what life is like for many of them today. Yet all my meetings with pensioners’ groups stress the simple ways we can help.”
Help the Aged is launching a new fundraising campaign called ‘1 is the saddest number’ to tackle isolation among older people.
Joyce added: “Feelings of loneliness can be even more acute during traditional holiday times such as Christmas. Help the Aged is aiming to provide at least 25,000 older people with a Christmas meal to enjoy with friends at their local day centre over the festive period.
“A donation of just £4 would enable Help the Aged to supply a meal for an older person, and the charity is hoping the public will help it raise £100,000 for this cause before the end of the year.
“If we all do a little, together we can achieve a lot, and I am urging people across Mid and West Wales to help make a difference this Christmas.”
To donate to the Help the Aged ‘1 is the saddest number’ appeal please call 0207 239 1983 or visit http://www.saddestnumber.org.uk/ for more information about how your donation will help.
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