New research released by the Council on the Ageing (COTA) NSW reveals that older adults are faced with an epidemic of loneliness and social isolation.
The report, ‘Voices of Solitude: Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Older Adults in NSW’, drew on data from a survey of over 2,200 individuals aged 50 and over across the state to better understand the extent and impacts of loneliness and social isolation.
It found that 60 per cent of respondents are lonely, with 25 per cent suffering from the most extreme levels of loneliness and 50% are socially isolated.
Gohar Yazdabadi, CEO of COTA NSW said, ‘Our findings paint a devastating picture of the extent of loneliness and social isolation among those aged 50 plus in our community.
‘Loneliness has profound impacts on the lives of older adults, it prevents one in four adults from completing everyday tasks such as shopping and cooking, and one in five from seeking medical care.’
Isolation
The research also found that 40 per cent of lonely older adults engaged in social activities in person less than once a month. Shockingly, 11 per cent of lonely older adults leave their homes once a month or less.
Furthermore, the research revealed that many older adults feel undervalued by society, contributing to their loneliness. Among those feeling lonely, 60 per cent don’t feel valued by society.
One in five older adults do not have someone to rely on and 15 per cent feel that their family and friends do not care about them.
Ms Yazdabadi added, ‘The feelings of being undervalued and without a support network are a terrible reflection of ageism and the way we value older people in our society, the impacts of which are keenly felt.’
The Voices of Solitude report forms part of COTA NSW’s submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s inquiry into the prevalence, causes and impacts of loneliness in NSW. COTA NSW congratulates the NSW Government for taking this important first step to addressing loneliness.
‘We look forward to working collaboratively to address loneliness and call on the Government to invest in grassroots organisations like COTA NSW to help reduce loneliness and its devastating impacts,’ Ms Yazdabadi said.
The Council on the Ageing NSW is the leading not-for-profit organisation representing the rights and interests of people over 50 in NSW.
They are determined to ensure that older people’s contributions to society are valued and that they have access to the opportunities other members of the community take for granted.
