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Loneliness is apparently as bad for a person’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It also increases the risk of a range of conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.
‘This is something I hadn’t anticipated, but you have to be ready to pivot frequently, as an older person,’ says OPAN National Older Persons Reference Group member Judith Covell, ‘because your friends die, or they re-partner, or they move closer to family, to support their own care’.
We asked Judith and fellow reference group members Alan Gravolin and Charles Linsell to share their tips on maintaining social connections and enjoying time alone.