A call has been made for a national awareness campaign to help the vulnerable after the body of an Aberdeen OAP lay undiscovered for years.
The elderly woman’s body was found by police at an address on Allison Close, in Cove.
It was revealed earlier today that she had been dead for several years and was found when authorities were alerted after she failed to show up for a Covid-19 vaccination appointment.
It’s also understood when asked where she was, the woman’s husband said she was abroad.
But police attended the couple’s home and discovered the woman’s body. The property is now boarded up.
‘Absolutely heartbreaking’
Speaking this evening, Scottish Conservative north-east MSP, and shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said: “This incident in Cove is absolutely heartbreaking and my thoughts go to family, friends and the community.
“Loneliness was here long before the pandemic and this case illustrates the devastating impact it can have.”
He added: “There needs to be a national loneliness awareness campaign introduced to help vulnerable people in need of comfort and support and I will press the SNP Government to take action on this.
“The sustained feeling of sadness many people feel because they have little or no meaningful human connection can lead to anxiety and depression and this emphasises the need for more help to be given.”
After the discovery on Thursday forensic officers had been seen coming in and out of the property where the woman lived with her elderly husband.
A police investigation was launched with the death being treated as “unexplained”, however, a post mortem is being carried out to establish how she died.
Charity boss urges people to look out for neighbours
Brian Sloan, chief executive of Age Scotland, said isolation among older people was a growing issue with tens of thousands of people going days or even weeks without a friendly call or visit.
He said: “Before the pandemic we estimated there was one chronically lonely older person on every street in Scotland. We now believe this is much worse, with more older people feeling isolated and cut off than ever before. This is having a devastating impact on both mental and physical health.
“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, especially with Covid-19 restrictions in place. But we can all help to look out for older people in our communities.
“Simply taking the time to get to know your neighbours, or having a friendly call or blether on the doorstep could make a huge difference to someone who is feeling isolated.
“If you’re concerned or haven’t seen someone for a while, then we would encourage you to check they are doing OK and ask if they need any help.
“Any older person can also call our free helpline for advice, information, or a chat on 0800 12 44 222.”