Bluebird Care Gosport director takes on #TheIsolationExperience

Kat Thomas, director of Bluebird Care Gosport, set herself the incredibly daunting task of spending 7 days in total isolation as part of their campaign to Unite Against Loneliness.

Kat Thomas, director of Bluebird Care Gosport, set herself the incredibly daunting task of spending 7 days in total isolation as part of their campaign to Unite Against Loneliness. The campaign aims to raise awareness of loneliness and the impact it can have on an individual’s health and wellbeing, and Kat and her team will be working to support The Silver Line – a charity dedicated to supporting lonely and isolated older people.
 
With no contact with the outside world and just her own company and that of a TV, Kat spent 7 days in a self-contained flat in Gosport to try to understand how thousands of people feel every day. Although undertaking daily activities such as cooking, watching television, doing a crossword and painting, the signs of loneliness were clearly visible as Kat shared her feelings each day in a series of video blogs. During these videos Kat told of the many problems she had faced such as a lack of motivation, loss of appetite, sleep deprivation and physical illness. These symptoms were shocking to see after just a few days, showing how much there is a need to support people in this situation.
 
She says “The Isolation Experience was without a doubt one of the hardest and emotionally testing weeks of my life. I wanted to gain an insight into what so many people in our country experience every day and to be perfectly honest, was shocked at how hard it was. Our videos of the experience have reached around 18, 000 people, many of whom have engaged with them, shared and commented. I believe that this demonstrates that there is recognition of this crisis in our society and that people are ready to make a change. Please unite with us and keep an eye on our social media for further events later this year.”
 
The Isolation Experience was just one initiative that Bluebird Care Gosport are running this year as part of their wider campaign to end loneliness. To keep up to date with their activities and to get involved, you can visit their Facebook page here. You can also watch Kat’s video entries on their page too. If you would like to donate to The Silver Line, please visit the JustGiving page here.