LONELINESS “Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone.  And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone.” - Paul Johannes Tillich

What exactly is loneliness? A mismatch of the relationships we have and those we want An internal trigger telling us to seek company as thirst tells us to drink and hunger tells us to eat Loneliness describes the pain of being alone as solitude describes the joy of being alone Isolation is often where there is no choice but to be alone Some people seek solitude, but few choose to be lonely, primarily because it isn’t good for us

Loneliness in the UK Almost half of adults in England say they experience feelings of loneliness

Loneliness = A serious risk to health

What causes loneliness? A range of ‘risk factors’ increase our vulnerability to loneliness: Wider society: Transport Physical environment Community Housing Technology Crime Population changes Personal: Poor health Sensory loss Loss of mobility Less income Bereavement Being out of work Other change, e.g. becoming a carer

A neighbourhood approach - Action Research Place based approach to loneliness Asset based community development, action research Working with people in their neighbourhood to explore what contributes to feelings of overwhelming/problematic loneliness Exploring factors like location, health and wellbeing, safety, independence, life transitions Developing and putting into practice local ideas and activities to reduce the effects of loneliness Making every contact and conversation count

The neighbourhoods – York & Bradford

NEIGHBOURHOOD APPROACHES TO LONELINESS

What are the issues affecting people in the four neighbourhoods

Key messages from the programme Loneliness kills people and communities Regulation kills kindness and reduces action Lonely people are vulnerable, this is a safeguarding issue Building personal and community confidence builds community resilience Community researchers are now activists – sharing the key messages

Key messages from the programme The stepping stones to engagement and education need to be put back There is a real contradiction between society’s ideals and individual experience You can take the ideas out of the process. You cannot take the process away from the ideas

Anyone can be lonely, even busy people Anyone can be lonely, even busy people. Anyone can reduce loneliness – their own or others How do we make every contact count? How do we look after the health and wellbeing of our communities, congregations, colleagues and ourselves? How do we give the gift of time when we lead such busy lives? How do we resource prevention in hard times? How do we ensure that our community assets are community hubs used to their full potential and open to all? Let’s see how we can all talk about loneliness Wot… no time ? We have a lot to consider

Can do – guidance and tips for negotiating community action; Free resources This resource pack brings together the lessons and experiences from the programme and includes: Loneliness resource pack - session plans, causes and ideas, case studies … Can do – guidance and tips for negotiating community action; Evaluation - Can neighbourhood approaches to loneliness contribute to peoples wellbeing Lets talk about loneliness - a short film featuring interviews with the communities involved in our research