The charity’s Annual Connection survey has found one in four Australians are worried they will feel lonely during the upcoming Christmas season.
Sadly, half of the people over 65 admitted they hadn’t made any Christmas plans and feel low levels of connection during the holiday period.
Previous research has shown that loneliness is twice as likely to cause an early death as obesity and that isolation can have the same impact on health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
There was some good news however.
People feeling more social connection despite COVID
The same study also found 78% of respondents felt a greater degree of social connection than they did this time last year – an increase of over 15% in just 12 months.
This is despite the impact of the lockdown restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic.
Penny Harrison, Red Cross Director of Volunteering, says the results overall show remarkable levels of resilience.
“It’s clear that Australians have turned to their communities, keeping connections going and making new ones,” she said. “Many people are clearly showing strong signs of resilience.”
Retirement villages offering a haven from social isolation
And where can you find greater connections? In retirement communities, of course.
Research by our sister, DCM Research, found the number of over-60’s who felt lonely and isolated grew from just 2% in 2018 to 27% in 2020.
But as we reported just last week, their survey of retirement village residents showed a 60% jump in resident satisfaction in the same period – which has been attributed to the lengths that operators went to keep residents safe and connected during the pandemic.
Many retirement villages and land lease communities put extra effort into socially distanced activities and events for residents this year so they could stay socially engaged.
Yet another reason to consider community living as you get older.
