For over 65s, life can change in an instant. Sudden bereavement, illnesses and financial struggles can take older people by surprise, leaving them feeling vulnerable and isolated. This can have a huge impact on the mental health of the elderly, which in turn can result in chronic, debilitating illnesses.

The issue has become so severe that there are currently over one million people over 65 in the UK that are often lonely. Approximately 1 in 14 older people experience chronic loneliness, with those falling under the poverty line being more vulnerable.

In this article, we’ll explain the root causes of the loneliness epidemic, while also highlighting the social groups who are most at risk.

How bereavement affects the elderly

Bereavement greatly affects older people, particularly the death of a spouse. That’s often true even if they appear to be outwardly unaffected. It can lead to a drastic decline in both physical and mental health, with the risk of depression increasing by four times.

Mental struggles

As mentioned, those faced with a spouse’s death become four times more likely to experience depression in the following months. Depression can cause a major drop off in cognitive abilities, affecting a person’s memory and information processing speed.

Grief doesn’t stop at depression. It can bring about feelings of shock, disbelief, anger and irritability. It can also cause anxiety, social withdrawal and a lack of purpose. While these symptoms are mental, they often result in physical issues if they aren’t addressed.

Physical struggles

Common physical effects of grief include severe fatigue and weakened immunity, which is more dangerous considering older people’s immune systems are already naturally weaker. The risk of a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, spikes in the months following a spouse’s death.

Loneliness and isolation

The overbearing threat of loneliness is always likely to hang over a grieving senior. Not having a partner there every day removes a social anchor and requires the individual to seek out some form of companionship. With grief often leading to social withdrawal amongst the elderly, going out and finding conversation isn’t as easy as it may seem.

This makes it all the more important for an elderly person to have a solid support group around them during times of grief. This can be friends, family or carers. Without this support, the elderly person will be more vulnerable to the above physical and mental effects of grief.

The effect of long-term illness on loneliness

Long-term illness is a major cause of chronic loneliness, as it reduces mobility, causes social isolation and shrinks social circles. As a result, many people who experience long-term illness or chronic pain find themselves stuck in a cycle of experiencing loneliness, but not feeling able to integrate themselves into social situations.

Here are some explanations of the effects that long-term illness and chronic pain can have on loneliness:

Disconnection from social groups: Even if the person suffering from illness or pain wants to go out, they may be forced to stay at home. Repeated cancellations can eventually result in a person no longer being invited.
Unrelatability: Having chronic pain or illness can make a person feel as though nobody can relate to them. This can cause self-isolation and make the person grieve for the time before they felt this way.
Feeling like a burden: Illness and reduced mobility can make an elderly person feel like they have become a burden to other people. This increases feelings of disconnection and can lead to the person not wanting to turn up to social events.

Living conditions and situations for the elderly

It’s a lot easier to fall into a state of chronic loneliness when you live alone. According to data by the NHS and Age UK, over 2 million people aged 75 or over in England live alone. In addition, more than a million older people go over a month without speaking to family, friends or neighbours.

This is a result of multiple factors, including bereavement, mobility issues rendering them housebound and a lack of confidence. Another major factor to be considered is the location of the elderly person, and the distance between them and their families.

Why location is isolating older people

Retiring to the coast in search of a slower pace of living, fresh sea air and gorgeous scenery is a dream for many seniors in the UK. However, as the years tick by, this dream can transform into a nightmare, leaving older people isolated. Here’s why:

Away from family: Devon, North Norfolk and East Sussex are three major retirement hotspots, all difficult to get to from major UK cities and their surrounding towns. Families can’t just pop by for a visit, leaving older people feeling isolated.
Poor transport links: When mobility declines and older people give up driving, getting around remote areas can be difficult. Buses aren’t as frequent as they are in cities, with many older people having to rely on community transport schemes.
Seasonal communities: Coastal towns in the UK peak during summertime, often emptying out in the winter. For those who are permanently based in these areas, six-month spells with limited social interaction can be devastating.
Poor connection: Having digital links to family members is key for maintaining connections with children and grandchildren. High-speed internet and strong phone signal isn’t a given in remote areas, making video and phone calls difficult.

The groups most affected by loneliness

Loneliness affects different people in different ways, with ethnic minorities and people in poverty often the hardest hit. In broader terms, loneliness also affects men and women in different ways, largely due to societal influences.

BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic)

BAME communities are often greatly affected by loneliness, especially when it comes to first generation immigrants. It’s easy to feel lonely when surroundings are unfamiliar, friends and family are abroad, and you’re not fluent in your host country’s language. The latter point is likely to stop many first generation immigrants from accessing local support networks, causing complete isolation.

It’s not just first generation immigrants that feel the weight of isolation. People in BAME communities that are native to the UK are also vulnerable, due to the ‘double jeopardy’ effect. Systemic social and economic disadvantages and long-term discrimination can cause minorities to withdraw themselves from potential support systems they don’t feel have protected them in the past.

People in poverty

When times are tough financially, it can amplify existing feelings of loneliness amongst older people. Factors such as driving cessation already prohibit the ease of getting out and about, but are made worse when the cost of public transport seems too much to justify. Even meeting friends within the local area for a coffee may feel too expensive, resulting in shrinking social circles.

Poverty can also have a physical impact on an older person, as it causes higher rates of chronic illness and disability. This can prevent the person from leaving their home altogether. There’s also a strong link between a lack of funds and low self esteem, making the elderly person less willing to partake in social interactions.

Gender-specific loneliness

While loneliness affects everybody differently, elderly women are most likely to report feeling lonely. This is down to a few factors, including higher rates of widowhood and lower income levels.

However, there is an argument to say that loneliness amongst older men is higher than the numbers that get reported. Men are less likely to admit feeling lonely, especially amongst the older generation, due to perceived societal expectations. Men also tend to have smaller social networks than women, which leaves a huge gap when their spouse dies.

Isolation amongst unpaid carers

The mental state of unpaid carers is often overlooked, but the strain of the job can itself cause feelings of loneliness and isolation. These are the key issues that prompt these feelings:

Constant demands: The 24/7 nature of caring for a vulnerable person will prevent many carers from being able to fully relax. They’ll likely have to miss out on social events too, distancing themselves from their social circle.
Feeling alone: Despite being attached to the person they’re caring for, carers often feel as though nobody truly understands what they’re going through.
Falling into poverty: As we’ve mentioned, poverty is a major driver of loneliness. Unpaid caring is a full-time job in itself, and juggling it with a regular job can feel impossible at times. Without support, carers can find themselves drifting along the poverty line.

Help support elderly family and friends with SureSafe

Loneliness can have a tight grip on older people, especially in a world that’s constantly changing around them. Transport issues, bereavements, sudden illness and distance from family can leave them feeling like they’re suffering in isolation.

However, with a SureSafe personal alarm, older people can feel confident in leaving the house once again. Our wearable personal alarms have an easy to trigger panic alarm and GPS tracking, meaning there will always be help on hand if something were to happen, however remote they may be.

If you’d like to know more about our products, call us on 0808 303 4541, get in touch via our live chat or request a call back.