IN this our 50th year, Anchor recognises that loneliness is nearing epidemic proportions and is something which concerns the older people living with us.
According to the Campaign To End Loneliness, more than half the country’s 75 year olds currently live alone which increases the likelihood of mortality by 26 per cent.
As we deliver housing, care and support to 40,000 older people from our 1,000 locations across England, Anchor does its utmost to prevent this.
That is why I welcome the Government’s decision to appoint Tracy Crouch as its minister for loneliness.
And local retailers can also help older people, particularly those living alone, to reduce their sense of loneliness.
Anchor’s Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign is asking retailers to provide seating so that older shoppers, as well as disabled people and pregnant women, can rest midshop.
A shopping trip may be a weekly chore for many but for some older people living alone it’s a chance for social interaction and could be a life-saver.
DAVID WHEELER Manager, Mulberry Court Stockton Heath
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