Loneliness

• Half of all people aged 75 and over live alone (the figure has reached 50 per cent for the first time since the year 2000).
• Just over 1 million older people (11 per cent) in the UK always or often feel lonely.
• 36 per cent of people aged 65 and over in the UK feel out of touch with the pace of modern life and nine per cent say they feel cut off from society.
• Nearly half of all older people (about 4.6 million) consider the television as their main form of company.
• Over 500,000 older people spent Christmas Day alone in 2006.

• 12 per cent of older people (over 1.1 million) feel trapped in their own home.
• 6 per cent of older people (nearly 600,000) leave their house once a week or less.
• Nearly 200,000 older people in the UK (195,580) do not receive the help they need to get out of their house or flat.
• 17 per cent of older people have less than weekly contact with family, friends and neighbours.
• 11 per cent have less than monthly contact.
• In England, eight per cent of those aged 75-plus say they have very difficult access to a corner shop; 10 per cent to a supermarket; 10 per cent to a post office; nine per cent to a doctor's surgery; and 17 per cent to a local hospital.