Elderly Care Advice
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Loneliness in the Elderly: How to Help
There are lots of ways you can do your bit to help lonely or socially isolated elderly people in your community. The person you're helping will reap health benefits, and you'll find you will as well.
Volunteering for an organisation that supports older people is a key way of helping a lonely or socially isolated older person. But a simple friendly chat or phone call can make all the difference, too.
Evidence suggests giving your time in this way could be as valuable to you as the person you support.
It's likely to boost your self-esteem and sense of purpose. And helping others takes your mind off your own problems for a while.
Read about how helping others can be incredibly rewarding
Start a Conversation
It's not always easy to know who or how to help. A good start is simply to stop and talk to an elderly neighbour if you pass them on the street.
If you think an older person may have trouble hearing or has memory problems, make sure to speak clearly (but do not shout!).
Pause between sentences and questions to give them chance to digest the information. And allow a little extra time for them to respond – do not hurry them.
Offer Practical Help
Do you know an older person who lives alone, rarely leaves the house, has recently suffered a bereavement, is in poor health, disabled, has sight or hearing loss, or does not seem to have close family living nearby?
Ask them if they need any help with tasks such as shopping, posting letters, picking up prescriptions and medicines, or dog-walking.
Offer to accompany them or give them a lift to activities or doctors' and hospital appointments, the library, hairdressers or faith services.
Help with Household Tasks
Getting older can make it hard to tackle even simple jobs around the house.
Older people often really appreciate any offer of help with basic chores such as taking out the rubbish, changing light bulbs, fastening sash windows, clearing snow off the path, putting up pictures, and so on.
Share a Meal
Older, isolated people often need a hand cooking for themselves, so why not take round an extra plate of hot home-cooked food, or a frozen portion they can heat up or microwave?
As well as being practical, it's a nice way to share your time with a neighbour.
Try to provide the meal in a container that you do not need back – it's hard work for both of you to keep track of serving bowls.
Here are some quick and easy recipes for delicious winter-warming meals.
The Casserole Club is a project that connects people who like to cook and are happy to share an extra portion of a delicious home-cooked meal with older neighbours living close by who could really benefit from a hot, cooked meal.
Watch Out for Sign of Winter Illness
Older people are particularly vulnerable during the winter as cold weather increases their risk of illnesses, such as colds, coughs, flu, heart attacks, strokes, breathing problems and hypothermia (a dangerous fall in body temperature).
Check if they have had a free flu jab or invite message/letter and, if not, offer to make an appointment at the GP surgery. The surgery will also use other methods of communicating such as text messages, letters, phonecalls and social media posts to update the general patient base on the progress of flu clinics - you can reassure an older person that the practice will try to get in touch with them when they have the flu vaccines in stock and the clinics ready.
Look out for signs of serious illness, such as drowsiness, slurred speech and the person not complaining of feeling cold even in a bitterly cold room.
Read about ways to keep warm and well
If you're worried, ask if there's a relative or close friend you can phone, or call their doctor or NHS 111.
You could also contact your local council or ring the Age UK helpline on 0800 009 966.
Find out how to spot and treat hypothermia
Read about 10 winter illnesses that are triggered or worsened by cold weather.