A report presented to Parliament in January by MP Frank Field showed that as many as 1 million older people are starving in their homes because of loneliness and isolation.
The report follows an announcement that the government is appointing a Minister to tackle loneliness, recommended by the Jo Cox campaign. The situation raises the question that, with so many local services having suffered cuts (see below), it might be wise for the new Minister to allocate funds to churches who are already doing valuable work to reach lonely people. All over the country, churches are working hard to reach the lonely in their communities. They are organising a range of activities, opening their doors for lunch clubs and activities of all types – anything that meets the need. They are usually funded by the churches and run by volunteers who are often retired and older themselves.
The need is great
The report quotes a woman in her 80s whose husband went into a care home with dementia. The district nurse, who had been visiting her husband to help with food, stopped coming and, with no one else visiting, the woman did not eat a proper meal for nine weeks. This went unnoticed until a neighbour called two months later. A man in his 90s was reported as banned from his local supermarket – because he fell twice and was an insurance risk – so he was unable to buy food.
