A charity that supports lonely older people is aiming to partner with researchers in a bid to find new ways to end isolation that badly affects those aged 75 and over.
Re-engage, is inviting submissions from academics ‘to transform the way we explore and understand the causes and impact of social isolation and loneliness.’
In the UK more than 1.4m people aged 75 plus live alone and around one in three of these can go a week without talking to anyone.
Re-engage tackles loneliness through its activities- free tea parties, telephone befriending services and gentle activity groups – which are designed to maintain social circles. The charity, which was launched in 1965, supports around 7,000 older people and has over 9,000 volunteers throughout the UK.
Research has already shown that loneliness can seriously harm physical and mental health and, in extreme cases, result in death. Now, Re-engage wants to probe better ways of tackling isolation and identifying effective interventions.
“We know loneliness really does have a big impact on older people. Their families may have moved away and friends have died so their worlds shrink,” said Jess Doyle, who is heading the Research Accelerator Programme at Re-engage.
“We have to recognise the experience, knowledge and fantastic life stories older people have and make sure they are not ignored and forgotten. To do that we have to end the isolation that is so damaging and we aim to achieve this through our new research initiative.
“By working in partnership with others we hope to build a better understanding of the causes of loneliness and advance towards our goal of creating a world where no one is too old to make a friend.”
Projects already under consideration include; Sheffield Hallam University investigating the impact of loneliness interventions and Oxford University exploring the role of neighbourhoods in providing social connections.
Re-engage is also launching its Research 100 programme which will involve volunteers committing to spending 100 hours over 12 months with the charity, helping build data about its impact. The first four applicants will be enrolled next month (October).
If you would like to apply for the programme or have a research proposal please go to: Research: Ending loneliness for people aged 75 and over (reengage.org.uk)
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