Reducing loneliness and social isolation in older people aged 75+ living in London
The Pitch
Problem statement
Loneliness is a particular issue for older people as our social circles typically shrink as we get older, we are more likely to be widowed, have poor health and/or live alone - factors which all contribute to an increased likelihood of experiencing loneliness. At least 700,000 Londoners feel lonely ‘most’ or ‘all of the time’. The pandemic is very likely to have made this worse. Loneliness is miserable, and it can have a devastating effect on physical health and mental wellbeing; lonely people are more likely to suffer from dementia, heart disease and depression. Due to escalating costs and no means to increase their income, older people are once again having to withdraw from society.
Solution
Funding would enable our staff to grow new and existing relationships with professional referral organisations so that lonely older people living in London are introduced to our services, as well as recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to deliver tea parties and call companions across London. Through regular social contact people aged 75+ in London will develop social connections through regular contact and experience reduced feelings of loneliness and social isolation. They will build intergenerational relationships with volunteers and, for those attending tea parties, peer-to-peer relationships. Older people will also report improved wellbeing and increased happiness.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Re-engage has been supporting older people experiencing isolation and loneliness for over 57 years. We support over 6,000 people aged 75+ across the UK, and in the past year over 700 of them were from London, where we are supported by over 1400 volunteers. Our locally based volunteers understand and respond to the needs in their area, backed-up by our robust processes and infrastructure that ensure vulnerable older people are protected. We are a collaborative organisation in recognition that a collective response is required to tackle loneliness in older people, our referral partners across London include NHS trusts, adult social services, , Age UK London branches, Silverline, and BlindAid.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Support and Development Officer - 2 days a month for 6 months @£108.10 per day (including on costs) | £1,297.2 |
| Volunteer recruitment - based on ID checks for 140 potential volunteers @3.60 each | £504 |
| Marketing, comms governance and IT tech based on 15% of costs | £194.58 |
Beneficiaries
350 people
Expected impact
As a result of engagement in one of Re-engage's services we would expect to see Improvements in wellbeing, with 60% of older people reporting improved wellbeing An 80% increase in the number of older people reporting high or very high levels of happiness A reduction in loneliness with 70% of older people living in London feeling less lonely We have a comprehensive monitoring framework to demonstrate impact and facilitate continuous improvement of our services. We collect thorough input from older people who use our services through a combination of baseline and wellbeing questionnaires, and annual surveys. To measure loneliness and wellbeing, we use a questionnaire based on the UCLA 3-item loneliness scale, the single direct measure of loneliness question used by ELSA and the ONS and the ONS4. We also collect qualitative feedback e.g.: "I would not have coped very well without the Re-engage contacts in my life. They have become close friends, and have helped me in every way"