Annual Report
Website Copy
Introduction, Annual Report 2023
Social isolation, and the loneliness that goes with it, is unfortunately not going anywhere in the UK.
The Campaign to End Loneliness carried out research in 2023 that had 7.1% of people in Great Britain (3.83 million) saying they experience chronic loneliness, meaning they feel lonely “often or always”. Many have never recovered from the isolating effects of the pandemic, with over half a million more people lonely last year than in 2020.
Among these are older adults living in care settings, whom we work with every day at The Together Project. Studies published in 2023 have given scientific backing to what we experience first-hand: that social contact (and the lack of it) is critical to the health and well-being of older adults. A study of 9000 adults over 65 without dementia, published in the journal Neurology in July 2023, showed that social isolation and loneliness have the effect of shrinking brain size.
But by facilitating friendships between older adults in care homes and younger people, we work to counteract these effects.
[...]
The Campaign to End Loneliness carried out research in 2023 that had 7.1% of people in Great Britain (3.83 million) saying they experience chronic loneliness, meaning they feel lonely “often or always”. Many have never recovered from the isolating effects of the pandemic, with over half a million more people lonely last year than in 2020.
Among these are older adults living in care settings, whom we work with every day at The Together Project. Studies published in 2023 have given scientific backing to what we experience first-hand: that social contact (and the lack of it) is critical to the health and well-being of older adults. A study of 9000 adults over 65 without dementia, published in the journal Neurology in July 2023, showed that social isolation and loneliness have the effect of shrinking brain size.
But by facilitating friendships between older adults in care homes and younger people, we work to counteract these effects.
[...]
Songs & Smiles, Web Copy
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Equal parts communal playdate, all-ages singsong and intergenerational friendship group, Songs & Smiles tackles social isolation through human connection.
Designed for children aged 0-4, their parents/guardians and older people, this just might be the most heart-warming hour of your week.
Designed for children aged 0-4, their parents/guardians and older people, this just might be the most heart-warming hour of your week.