Bluebird Care (Wakefield) hosted a Big Chinwag on Friday 19th June

Bluebird Care (Wakefield) hosted a Big Chinwag on Friday 19th June to help combat loneliness in the elderly

The Big Chinwag was a nationwide event, created by Age UK, in order to raise awareness and funds for battling loneliness in the elderly.

In the UK, there are hundreds of thousands of elderly people who are cut off from family, friends and the community, and experience loneliness every day. In England, 51% of over-75s live alone and for many elderly people, television is their main form on companionship.

Loneliness can have devastating effects on a person’s mental and physical health, including leading to depression. Unfortunately, there is a stigma surrounding the idea of loneliness, which means many vulnerable people do not seek the help they need.

The event was hosted by the Care Manager, Suzy Hirst at our offices in Pontefract, where people came and enjoyed some cake and coffee, whilst having a good old chin wag. We also organised a raffle, with the star prize being a voucher for Afternoon Tea at Jolly’s, which helped us to raise over £30 for Age UK.

Thank you to all our staff who gave up their time to attend this event. It was good to see so many people drop in for a coffee and a chat, and find out more about how they can help combat loneliness.