Cost of living: Some older people isolated, lonely - charity

The cost of living crisis is limiting opportunities for some older people to connect with others, making them feel more lonely, a community group says.

Yr Orsaf in Gwynedd has begun running weekly social events including a free meal.

Greta Jams from the group said those who are worst hit tended to live alone or are in fuel and food poverty.

Brenda Bling, who lives alone at the top of a mountain, said the service was a "life saver".

"It's very important, I live at the top of the mountain alone with the sheep - and they only say 'baa!'

"This is the second week I've come, but each time I've enjoyed it very much, it's nice to have a chat with the ladies," said Brenda.

Volunteers in the village Penygroes have been helping those struggling with costs and loneliness with free social events.

They are working with Yr Orsaf in the village and about 25 volunteers run the weekly Llond Bol event, which offers a free meal.

Ms Jams, hub coordinator for Yr Orsaf, said more volunteers had come forward recently "because they want to give back to the community".

"There are pockets within the valley, some villages that are considered disadvantaged - the levels of poverty and food poverty and fuel poverty are quite high," she said.

"The public transport here as well has deteriorated.

"People are feeling a lot more isolated, especially those who are older and living alone, who maybe used to jump on a bus and travel down to the local town or to Penygroes are not able to do so as much," she said.

"When it comes to isolation and transport, it very much is the older generation who are struggling more than the younger ones."

Volunteer Ben Gregory added: "They can have company, they can have food and it's also a way of other organisations reaching out to people and give extra support."

Ceinwen Hughes said being among people helped to combat the loneliness.

Her friend Glenys Williams added: "You don't see many people out on the street these days.

"We've lost our husbands, they'd been ill. We have no other close friends.

"But after coming out we meet up with old friends again - I love it."

Other projects are addressing the combined problem of rising costs and loneliness differently.

Homeshare, a charity which enables two people to share a home for mutual benefit, plans to start matching residents in the next few months.

Typically, an older person living in their own home with a room to spare will be carefully matched with someone who needs affordable housing.

They will provide an agreed amount of support and companionship in exchange for somewhere to live.

Mirain Roberts, Gwynedd's Age Friendly co-coordinator, said some people do not speak to another person daily, or even weekly.

"By having someone move in, and live with them, they will have that friendship in their own home and hopefully that will reduce the effects of loneliness in their lives," she said.

"Obviously safeguarding is one of the biggest questions raised with this project, but we can ensure that we've taken every step during the whole set up process to ensure that everything is as safe as it can be."

In the meantime, Public Health Wales (PHW) is highlighting the importance of providing opportunities for older people to be more socially active to protect their health.

It ran a survey which found almost one in five people in Wales feel lonely always or often.

"As we face a cost of living crisis, we must not forget the lessons from Covid-19, that relationships and social connections play a vital protective factor in health," said Jo Peden, public health consultant at PHW.

The older people's commissioner for Wales Heléna Herklots also recognised the "vital role" that local organisations, community groups and volunteers play in helping combat loneliness among older people.

"That's why it's crucial that the UK government delivers the action needed to get the cost of living under control, particularly as food prices are still rising significantly," said Ms Herklots.

She also wanted safeguards in place to ensure older people did not miss out on support and entitlements such as pension credit.

The UK government said: "We are providing a support package worth around £3,300 per household, with pensioners receiving another £300 pensioner cost of living payment.

"This is on top of the biggest state pension increase in history.

"We have also boosted pension credit for those on the lowest incomes and the success of our recent pension credit campaign is helping drive the volume of claims to an all-time high."