A cry for help from lonely people in the north has intensified in the past year.
One charity alone is now helping about 120 people at any time and the problem is now so acute that it has headlined the latest annual report of the Highlands’ director of public health.
Leading charity Highland Befrienders has experienced a 65% increase in referrals to its mental health service and it is appealing for more volunteers to offer their services.
Health director Professor Hugo van Woerden’s report ranks loneliness as being “as harmful as 15 cigarettes a day, potentially leading to dementia, heart disease, high blood pressure and depression.”
He said: “Loneliness kills. It’s associated with a significant mortality which is not widely recognised.
“It increases mortality by about 1.6 times and social isolation by five times comparing the most and least affected groups.”
He prescribes befriending organisations as the most powerful remedy.
Prof van Woerden makes a series of recommendations to help tackle the issue across the north.
One is to further promote the NHS Highland campaign – “Reach out, make a difference for someone who’s lonely,”
which was launched early this year.
People, companies and a host of organisations are invited to complete a “pledge” form, promising a task of their choosing to address loneliness such as ragularly chatting with an elderly neighbour or organising a social event for lonely people.
Age UK suggests levels of loneliness have remained stable over the last 60 years, with around 10% of people aged over 65 years experiencing chronic loneliness at any given time. However, self-reported loneliness in people over 80 increases to about 50%.
It has found that in the general population, 5% of people report often feeling lonely and 31% report feeling lonely sometimes.
Prof van Woerden said: “People are living longer. We already have a higher proportion of older people than the rest of Scotland. In Highland, the population of people over 80 is predicted to double and for those over 90 to almost treble by 2035.”
Sally Mackintosh of Befrienders Highland, which also covers the isles and Argyll and Bute, said: “We’ve had a 65% increase in referrals to our mental health service this year.
“It’s a huge problem, this time of year especially, coming up to Christmas when a little bit of kindness goes a long way.”
The 25-year-old charity urgently needs more volunteers. It currently has 130 and manages between 110 and 120 friendships. The number to call is 01463 235675.