Ending the isolation

BEHIND the hustle and bustle of a thriving town like Swindon lies a story of loneliness and isolation for a hidden population of elderly people.

In a community where men and women work long hours and find themselves 'time poor,' there are folk for whom the hours in a day are endless.

Some of them, living alone and not seeing another soul for days on end, have died alone their deaths not discovered for days, weeks or even months.

Reclusive Arthur Burke, 58, was alone when he died in his home at Purley Avenue, Park South, and it was a week before his body was discovered. Police found him dead on June 18, 2002, after neighbours became concerned.

Now the WRVS has attempted to prick the conscience of society with the results of a survey that reveals that eight per cent of people see no one at all on an average day.

In Swindon, where around 9,000 elderly people live alone, it means that up to 720 of them probably spend the vast majority of their time in solitude.

Loneliness can lead to depression. Depression can lead to death. It isn't an empty statement.

Take Margot Duncan of Burbage, near Marlborough, who became lonely and depressed after losing her singing voice and gradually losing touch with her friends and interest groups. She took an overdose of pills just after Christmas 1999, one pill for each of her 63 years.

She died at home alone, her body was found a few hours later by her son.

According to statistics around 12,000 older people in the UK die alone in their homes each year and 17 per cent of those who live alone are often or always lonely.

Chief executive of the nationwide voluntary organisation, Mark Lever, said: "Few understand the multiple impacts that loneliness can have, it can be the difference between life and death.

"Housebound and deprived of human contact, older people go downhill rapidly in both physical and mental terms and can quite literally lose the will to live."

One of the major reasons behind the increasing isolation of older people who live on their own is the change in society.

WRVS south west regional volunteering manager Sue Creighton explained: "Here in Swindon we have such a low unemployment figure and a lot of people are out at work for long hours. They don't meet other people because they are busy.

"They hardly even have time to do things like picking up their children from the nursery or getting themselves something to eat.

"It would be nice if they were able to stop and say hello to elderly neighbours or pop in and check they are all right.

"But, because of working long shifts, the time people can give back to the community is cut."

To combat that increasing isolation the WRVS in Swindon is looking to recruit more volunteers willing to spend a few hours a month bringing human contact to housebound pensioners.

"Some of the volunteers themselves are living in isolation and this is a wonderful way of making friendships."

The WRVS is in no doubt what its services mean to its clients.

As well as delivering frozen meals in Wiltshire, the organisation has a home library service.

It is an important lifeline for people who are frail or housebound. When a person's physical capabilities start to become more limited, reading can take on a new importance in their lives.

The service run from Highworth library has been established for 10 years and currently has 29 pensioners on its books.

Jenny Selwood, library manager there has first hand experience of the gratitude felt by clients and the devotion shown by her band of volunteers.

"We have a beautiful clock here. After one of our ladies died her daughter said her wish was that we should have something because the service was her lifeline. She loved reading," she said.

"In Highworth we are especially lucky. We have a great team. Some of them have been doing it since the service started here.

"They aren't required to do anything for the clients, but they often do little things like posting letters for them. They become friends. Some of these people do not see anybody otherwise."

The call for more people to take an interest in the town's elderly people who are living independently was echoed by Jo Osorio, director of Swindon Age Concern.

They operate a befriending service which reaches out to people across the town living on their own. As well as just spending some time chatting, the 75 volunteers sometimes take them out shopping or help with the odd chore. They too have a book lending service.

"I don't think until any of us have actually experienced loneliness, we can know how people feel," said Mr Osorio.

"There are a lot of hours in the day. Even if you see someone for a time there are still a lot of hours left."

"We do our level best and we could do even more if we had more volunteers to do it. But at the moment we are scratching the surface."

It is a situation with which Ann Godfrey is familiar. Only recently she featured in the Advertiser when she appealed for more volunteers for Contact the Elderly, an organisation that takes housebound pensioners out once a month to tea parties.

"Apart from carers some people never seen anyone of their own age group," she said.

But the fact is that even though the Adver's article brought more volunteers for Contact the Elderly, more people have to answer the WRVS challenge to ensure that no one in Swindon has to endure long days of loneliness and isolation in the future.

Some people attended day centres but often they hardly knew anyone and a small intimate group of 12 at a tea party allowed them to make friends and talk more easily.

Such centres were also limited to weekdays, when in fact Sunday was probably the most lonely day of the week for most people, she explained.

Her organisation sometimes canvasses elderly folk at day centres but they are often approached by concerned relatives and friends.

Tina Clarke