Monday 11 April 2016

Extra care critical for elderly struggling with severe loneliness

A new study has recently emphasised the need for communicating with elderly people and furthermore guaranteeing they receive the best suited standard of care and support they need.

A new report, authored by Age UK, discovered that hundreds of older individuals are contending with a "double whammy" of problems, having to deal with constant isolation and furthermore cope with unmet care needs.

Accessing a large selection of services, regardless if within a care home or nearby in the community, is an critical component of ensuring that the elderly might experience fulfilling and interesting lives.

Services that specialize in elderly care can certainly make sure that the elderly have their physical and mental health and wellness needs fulfilled, whilst engaging with him or her to restrict all feelings of loneliness they happen to be going through.

The published information provided by Age UK found that those who have health care specifications who are not receiving any kind of support are nearly two-thirds more likely to have gone through feelings of loneliness in the past few days in comparison to somebody who is getting some level of care or support.



Charity director of Age UK Caroline Abrahams explained: "It’s bad enough to be having difficulties caused by a care need and going without any support, however it turns out that an appreciable number of senior citizens in this position are generally presented with a “double whammy” since they're persistently lonely at the same time."

She said it is much more likely that many of these types of elderly people live life by themselves and in very isolating circumstances, unable to contact family members, friends or even others who live nearby for support if and when they need it.

Ms Abrahams revealed that the "overriding objective" of social care is to satisfy somebody's needs however for senior citizens - that do not generally have the option or ability to leave their home - this kind of care is usually "extremely important" as it might be the sole interaction they have all day.

However, she asserted the system was unable to keep pace with the expanding numbers of older people, which results in numerous going without any sort of basic support. The research suggests that this is certainly exacerbating the substantial challenge of acute loneliness among elderly people too.

Based on the research, around 300,000 older individuals across the nation are struggling with loneliness as well as the added pressure of having care needs which aren't being fulfilled.

Research has shown that isolation itself could have a substantial effect on an individuals wellbeing and health, making them more prone to sickness. For this reason treating the issue would not only enhance the standard of living for older people but will also lessen the financial impact on the health care system.