Posted under Blog on October 25th, 2013 by Editorial Team / No Comments

Lonely older people throughout the UK will be able to call a new national helpline for support and advice. Established by British TV personality Esther Rantzen, The Silver Line provides help for elderly people who are feeling isolated and lonely.  

The helpline recently received a grant worth £5 million from the Big Lottery Fund which will enable the service to cover the whole of the UK before Christmas this year – a time when people are most vulnerable to loneliness.

Over half of those aged over 75 years in Britain live alone. Silver Line is concerned about the impact of loneliness on such older people because of its possible links to depression, malnutrition and the development of Alzheimer’s through a lack of mental and physical stimulation. Indeed, a study carried out last year and published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry found that those who suffer from loneliness have a 64% greater risk of dementia.    

The Silver Line also offers people a ‘befriending service’ through which elderly callers can book a telephone appointment to speak to volunteers which, it is hoped, will help maintain their sense of belonging to a community.

People living in the UK can call The Silver Line on 0800 328 8888. Calls are free to the caller and the lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Tags: Alzheimers, elderly, Esther Rantzen, Silver Line