Getting Involved in Loneliness Awareness Week 2021
The campaign for Loneliness Awareness Week is now underway, giving the chance to spread awareness about those who are isolated. Throughout this week, the aim is to encourage people into talking about their concerns, hopefully paving the way for comradery among others similarly affected.
Even though the rate of immunisation is allowing restrictions to ease, there are still those who are unable to leave home as easily, and only together can we ensure they retain good well-being as we enter the second part of the year.
What is Loneliness Awareness Week?
Loneliness Awareness Week is a campaign running from 14th-18th June 2021. Having this period in place will highlight how detrimental loneliness is, acting as a catalyst to unlocking better care for affected individuals now and well into the future.
The key focus is placing more emphasis on how loneliness is an experience rather than a condition. With this approach, people can be supported to find methods of moving away from feeling isolated and know that it is a temporary situation.
How Do I Get Involved?
During the week, you can download materials related to the campaign, where you can promote the initiative within schools and your place of work. A JustGiving Page has also been created by the organisers of the week, Marmalade Trust.
Feel free to make a contribution right here: https://www.justgiving.com/marmalade-trust
Handing the younger generation more awareness of the effects of loneliness is also massively important and that’s why lesson plans for both primary and secondary school students have been made available. The key area is of course how the Pandemic has seen lots of children feel incredibly isolated.
Using the hashtag #LetsTalkLoneliness can also help us spread the word on social media. Use this to accompany your thoughts and maybe share some pictures of any fun activities you’re undertaking with other people throughout the week.
Why is Loneliness Awareness Week Important?
It’s important because mental health can be a serious issue when isolating, or when medical problems prevent you from venturing out. Below are just some of the most common ways loneliness can affect the elderly, middle aged adults and even young children.
Depression
The human brain is programmed to interact socially with others. We often overlook how important trips to the local pub and family get-togethers can be, and that’s generally because we take these things for granted. A lack of human exposure means the mind is denied the positive endorphins that come from things like humour, companionship and comfort associated with everyday conversations.
Anxiety
When things get too much, the overriding emotion is likely to be anxiety, making everyday life an uphill struggle from start to finish. If your mind feels unhinged, you aren’t likely to perform quite as well with work-related tasks, and even simple things like getting a good night’s sleep could become an unbearable slog.
Paranoia
Human interaction brings about many positive emotions, one of which is reassurance. Constantly being alone will mean even the most trivial things could be overthought. Simply telling someone else about any mental health problems can hugely help, since hearing it from another person is often enough to eradicate most fears.
How We Combat Loneliness
Loneliness is something many of our clients have suffered from prior to getting live-in care, so we are only too aware of how important the right support can be. Using companion care, we can offer affected individuals a like-minded care worker to ensure they feel less isolated, also helping with daily tasks like preparing food and completing weekly shopping trips. We believe companion care is one of the best ways to combat loneliness, so we have a comprehensive program in place for effective support all-year-round.
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