Our mission to combat loneliness this winter
Through our not-for-profit sister company ‘Abbots Friends’ we enjoyed hosting tea parties over the summer across our communities. It was great to see so many of our Clients, Care Workers, families, and friends all coming together to socialise, play games, draw, paint, and most importantly to socialise and eat lots of cakes and sandwiches!
As we enter the winter months we are passionate about continuing our work and ensuring members of our local community feel included in the Christmas festivities.
We know how difficult this time of year can be for some people, many of whom live alone and need support at home.
With this in mind, we have made it our mission this winter to help combat loneliness. We will be donating 100+ hours for companionship care, giving gifts in our local community and hosting Christmas tea parties across our communities.
Read on to find out more…
The scale of loneliness in the UK
We are confident that the Christmas will be a joyful one, but it’s important to acknowledge why this campaign is so important to us.
Loneliness is a significant issue in the UK, particularly among those over 50, with 1.9 million reporting frequent feelings of loneliness (Age UK). On a local scale this translates to 21,000 people in Hertfordshire.
What are the main causes of loneliness as people get older?
- 5.2 times more likely to be ‘often’ lonely if someone is widowed compared with older people who are in a relationship.
- 3.7 times more likely to be ‘often’ lonely if someone is in poor health compared with older people who are in good or excellent health
- 3 times more likely to be ‘often’ lonely if someone doesn’t feel like they belong to their neighbourhood.
The colder weather brings its own set of challenges, illnesses are more common, heating bills creep up, and the roads and pavements become harder to traverse making it difficult to get out and about to see friends and family, these issues can make a typically happy period like Christmas, into one of anxiety and isolation.
Loneliness – a universal issue
It’s a common misconception that only the elderly experience loneliness, but in reality, it’s a shared human experience.
Research by the ONS suggests that those aged 16-29 are two times as likely to report feeling lonely often or always than those aged 70+ (9.7% versus 3.7%) with those aged 30-49 close behind with 8.2%.
We offer care services to many young people, many of whom lead active, exciting lives. But it’s important to acknowledge how normal feelings of loneliness can be across all ages. For young people who would benefit from extra support, we have several employees of similar ages with shared interests. They’re ready to make the festive period extra fun with time to give, and a friendly, engaging presence.
How are we helping?
Our volunteer drive
At Abbots Care we operate a clear set of values, one of these being recruiting caring people, and that goes for every role, not just care roles but for positions in coordination, intake, marketing, and finance. Everyone who works for Abbots Care must be passionate about improving the lives of our clients.
With this in mind, we are dedicating ourselves to tackling loneliness across our communities by donating 100+ hours to help engage vulnerable members of our community in the festivities during December and into the new year.
Whether it’s watching the football, having a mince pie and a drink, going for a walk, or on day trips, our office staff, care workers, and volunteers will be out in the community helping individuals with additional care needs join in with their festive traditions!
Gift-giving competition
We are also running a competition that will see over 20 individuals receive Christmas presents to share with a friend, family member, Care Worker, or Client courtesy of Abbots Care. If there is someone you think deserves a gift, you can use this Typeform to nominate them. We will be delivering gifts across all of our regions from Hertfordshire and Bucks all the way to the south coast so please get nominating!
Christmas tea parties
Come and enjoy sandwiches, drinks, cakes, mince pies, crafts, and bingo at our Christmas tea parties in Welwyn, Watford, and Dorset! We can’t wait to see all of our Clients, family, and friends again in person as we ramp up to the 25th of December.
Winter is better spent together!
We are excited to spend winter with you, if you would like to find out more about our volunteer companion service, you cna visit our webpage, email us – enquiries@abbotsfriends.com or call us at 0330 094 5511
