It’s claimed the impact of social isolation on the health of older people living alone in Clare’s major urban centres can’t be understated.
A new report from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, which is being launched today, has found that a third of people over the age of 50, who are living alone, are feeling the effects of isolation.
The study states that those from rural areas are less likely to be in this situation, while women are more likely to maintain social contacts than men.
Loneliness was also found to decrease between the ages of 50 and 67 before becoming more common again in old age.
Stella O’Gorman of the Clare Older People’s Council has been telling Clare FM’s James Mulhall that investment in transport as one possible solution.
