Loneliness is ruining the lives of thousands of elderly, says Cork advocate

THE World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Social Connection recently released its global report, which revealed that one in six people worldwide are affected by loneliness.

A European Commission study published in 2023 found that 20% of Irish people experience loneliness most or all of the time. This is compared to the European average of 13%.

Also, in relation to Ireland, research from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Well-being Survey showcased a rise in loneliness among older adults, with 13.6% reporting feeling downhearted or depressed in 2024, which was up from 10.8% in 2023.

Meanwhile, data from the ALONE awareness survey in 2024 highlighted that one third of older adults feel they lack companionship, feel lonely, or isolated.

Consistently, across the board, the data is clear. Loneliness is an issue which is impacting people quite commonly in Ireland and that includes in Cork.

Speaking to The Echo, Cork advocate for the elderly Paddy O’Brien outlined how significant the issue is for older people on Leeside and beyond.

“Loneliness is ruining the lives of thousands of our elderly people. Loneliness is the biggest single problem being experienced by senior citizens.

HUMAN TOUCH

“The human touch is the only way to combat loneliness. I am speaking here in particular about the visitation of the elderly. Neighbours should be more involved, local schools more involved, to visit especially those who live alone.

Mr O’Brien added: “I have stated on numerous occasions that loneliness is like any of the conventional diseases, it kills people.

“There are numbers of elderly people who could go three or four days without ever speaking to anyone.”

Among the organisations in Cork aiming to combat the issue of loneliness is Friendly Call Cork. This is a free service offering a daily phone call to older people or individuals who may feel lonely, isolated, or vulnerable in Cork city and surrounding areas.

Speaking to The Echo, Friendly Call development coordinator Jackie Fitzgibbon explains that Friendly Call was developed as a direct response to the issues of older people living alone who were extremely isolated, confined to the home and who did not have any regular callers to them.

“It is nice to be able to help people out,” Ms Fitzgibbon said.

“It is nice to be able to do something, even if it is just breaking up the day and having a chat with them, when they are not going to see someone for the morning or something. So at least you are on to them and checking in with them.

“Most people give us very good feedback and that they appreciate the call and that they enjoy it.

“They make our day as well. You get some great stories and we would know a lot of the people very well.”

Friendly Call also runs a minibus taking vulnerable clients to hospital or other medical appointments, while they also assist the local Meals on Wheels with deliveries.

Loneliness, however, is not just an issue which impacts elderly people. According to the WHO Commission on Social Connection, between 17% and 21% of individuals aged between 13 and 29 years old reported feeling lonely.

Alex Fuertes Roper, communications and engagement officer on the University College Cork (UCC) Students Union, told The Echo loneliness can be a significant amongst the youth and student population, with the cost-of-living crisis having a knock-on impact on the student experience.

“There has definitely been a rise in loneliness due to the rise of commuting. It comes back to the cost of living and student accommodation not being affordable.

“That leads to students not being able to go to events that are late at night. With the rise of commuting, loneliness is unfortunately something we are seeing more and more.”

On what the UCC Students Union had to say for any young people or students that may be experiencing loneliness, he added:

“The main message is that you are not alone. Everybody feels lonely and everybody is going to feel lost at some point.

“At the beginning of college, to move areas and to even move countries for some people to pursue your education is scary.”

MTU Cork Students Union president, Richard Noonan, agreed loneliness is a problem that is currently affecting many students within different universities across Ireland.

“From speaking firsthand with students within universities, it is often the case of unless they come to college alongside people that they would have known from secondary school, many can find it difficult to create new friendships in a different environment,” Mr Noonan said.

“Additionally, this can be a result of financial stress with focusing on full time work and studies over their own wellbeing, and can result in loneliness and depression only adding on to the difficulties of socialising for students.”

Mr Noonan added: “The most important message we can say to people going through this, is to be kind to yourself and know that there are other individuals out there with similar struggles and that there are always people who will listen to you.”

The issue of social isolation and loneliness was up for debate in Dáil Éireann before the summer recess.

Speaking during the debate, Cork North Central Fine Gael TD Colm Burke said:

“Evidence shows loneliness is a significant issue for population health. A number of different studies have linked loneliness to multiple chronic health conditions.

“Loneliness levels in Ireland are rising; the covid-19 pandemic was a major contributory factor to increases in social isolation.”

Speaking to The Echo, Social Democrats TD for Cork East Liam Quaide also feels the issue of loneliness significantly impacts the younger age cohort of the population.

“On the one hand, young people are now hyperconnected through social media,” he said.

“At the same time, they face challenges with loneliness and cyberbullying not experienced by my generation. And we are living through an era of reduced in-person communication which can also be isolating.

“The Government’s failure to invest in youth services and amenities for teenagers has pushed them further to the margins, particularly those young people who may not have an interest in sports.

“We need to see the far reaching benefits of youth services supported with proper funding, the development of amenities in each community for teenagers as well as young children and increased resourcing of youth mental health services.”

To contact the Friendly Call service in Cork, call 021 430 1700 or 087 636 6407, or email friendlycall@ partnershipcork.ie.

The Samaritans can be contacted on jo@samaritans.ie or calling 116 123. Pieta House can be contacted by free phoning 1800 247 247 or texting ‘HELP’ to 51444

There is further information about the different support helplines available at https://tinyurl.com/35bp7uss.