Category: Loneliness

The next generation: how intergenerational interaction improves life chances of children and young people

United for All Ages, January 2019
This report looks at how intergenerational interaction can have benefits for children and young people who currently face a growing crisis of confidence, loneliness and anxiety, often fearful about the future, fragmented families, segregated by age, with cuts in services and financial support.  The report finds that interaction between older and younger people can help address these issues – starting at an early age with nurseries and care homes linking, through schools, colleges and universities, to mentoring and community projects.

Click here to view the full report.

A connected society: A strategy for tackling loneliness: Laying the foundations for change

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, October 2018
This strategy sets out the approach to tackling loneliness in England. It marks a shift in the way we see and act on loneliness, both within government and in society more broadly. The strategy looks at what can be done to design in support for social relationships in this changing context. It  highlights the importance of social relationships to people’s health and wellbeing. By social wellbeing, it means our personal relationships and social support networks and the way these can bring happiness, comfort and resilience, adding to our overall wellbeing.
Click here to view the full report.

An overview of reviews: the effectiveness of interventions to address loneliness at all stages of the life-course

What Works Wellbeing, October 2018
The review sought to address the question: What is the effectiveness of interventions to alleviate loneliness in people of all ages across the lifecourse? The results from controlled study designs in community settings and care homes showed no effect of interventions on loneliness, although this does not mean that loneliness is not alleviated at all by a range of interventions. In the published literature loneliness is seldom reported as a primary outcome; it is most often reported alongside other outcomes including related concepts such as social isolation, social support, social networks, and health outcomes including anxiety and depression.
Click here to view the full report.