Loneliness
Loneliness due to isolation & lack of social interaction is as serious as smoking to our health.
Research suggests that a sense of isolation can have an immediate, measurable effect on physical health, causing higher blood pressure and stress levels, depressing the immune system, disrupting sleep, encouraging overeating and alcohol consumption, and leading to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
In rural areas isolation is all too common & this is why Shropshire Rural Support is campaigning to help reach sufferers in our county.
What can we do about it?
- We have written to all the rural parish councils in our county asking them to consider what is on in their parish & how is it advertised.
- We need to effectively reach people experiencing loneliness & isolation through clubs, societies & social groups
Loneliness can be an easy thing to fix – it is just a matter of connecting people.