With a little help from our friends…

With a growing elderly population, working people or those living away from immediate family are increasingly seeking support and companionship for their parents, who in many cases have become isolated and lonely. Deborah Moggach, author of the novel adapted for film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel about retired people from the UK going to India, said: "Loneliness really is the last taboo." She said old age must not be an "inevitable descent into despair" and more efforts had to be made to stop people becoming isolated and lonely. "We have to stop thinking of this as someone else's problem. As a society, we need to recognise loneliness as an issue, and put something in place that enables older generations to flourish - not flounder," There is no one-size-fits-all solution to loneliness, but prevention is better than cure. People experiencing loneliness need different types of support depending on their individual circumstances. Like many things, there are different stages to loneliness. It starts as a temporary situation, often triggered by a key life transition like retirement, bereavement or reduced mobility, perhaps following an illness or accident.  If someone gets the right support at this stage, their feelings of loneliness can be prevented from escalating. But without the right support, there is the risk that it could transition into a chronic issue, potentially leading to poor health and pressure on public services. Whilst the tips on overcoming loneliness provided by 2017 celebrity nonagenarian Derek Taylor, such as joining a club and doing voluntary work may not be feasible for many older people, as friends and family we can do our bit to ensure a good support network is in place. This could be by helping them to keep in contact with distant friends and neighbours or by enlisting the help of companionship services such as those provided by Nannies 4 Grannies.