Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Loneliness 'scourge of the elderly'

Loneliness is the biggest problem faced by older people, a study has found.

The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) survey found the problem was particularly acute in rural areas, with declining public services, cuts in rural transport and the closure of post offices blamed.

Mairead Bushnell, SVP national president, said loneliness remained an issue for the elderly despite attempts by the society to tackle the problem.

"Although the SVP is working to combat loneliness by its system of personal visitation, services such as day centres, social housing and holidays, and the provision of personal alarms, this is a very wide social issue," Ms Bushnell said. More...

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