How we help… Loneliness

If there’s one thing that many of us have in common since the Covid pandemic, it’s feeling lonely. A survey back in 2020 revealed that one in four UK adults are feeling lonely, this is hardly surprising when we have had to limit our social contact in order to stay safe.

For many people, these feeling will ease as we start to come out of lockdown but for others, loneliness is a long term problem that is not going anywhere. Living with or caring for someone who has sight and hearing loss can mean that social interactions are more difficult, tiring and sometimes less meaningful. They may need to be pre-planned and are often more functional than social. So, it’s no wonder that loneliness is a big problem for people with sight and hearing loss and those who care for them.

If you’re feeling lonely for long periods of time, this can make you feel very low and even depressed. So, it’s important to acknowledge how you feel and to talk to someone.

We recently spoke to George who said “being blind, I live in darkness and not having contact with other people makes my world very silent.” George has been using our emotional support service and told us: “I look forward to the calls, as they break up the silence”. Another member recently told us: “I’m so grateful that someone will be calling. I’ve felt so isolated and now I have something to look forward to. I’ve got a smile on my face right now as I know someone will be there.”

If you feel lonely, you can:

• Contact our helpline for a chat with our friendly team
• Tell us how you’re feeling, you might be able to benefit from our six-week support service or we might be able to find you a befriender to talk to regularly
• Join one of our social groups
• Ask about our technology support service, we could show you how to make a video call or send an email