SkyNews reported on a campaign by Dame Joanna Lumley to raise awareness of loneliness among elderly people this Christmas in the UK. She called it a “crisis hidden in plain sight”, that some 1.5 million older people could spend Christmas alone.
This figure is based on a survey of more than 2,600 people carried out by Age UK, which found that 11% of elderly people in the UK will eat dinner alone on 25 December, while 5% will not see or speak to anyone at all that day. Applied to the population as a whole, this suggests 1.5 million people will eat alone on Christmas Day.
There will of course be people alone here in Spain this Christmas, though many elderly people will be with their family. Is your neighbour going to be alone? Would you consider inviting them in for Christmas dinner? Or are you yourself going to be alone? Would you like to have a chat with someone who is also by themselves? Age in Spain offers a ‘Friendline’ service. Read about it here and see if that is something for you.
Read the full article here on SkyNews here.