Nation to Celebrate over 65s with Silver Sunday

On this week’s Thrift Urban Housing blog I will be discussing the over 65s event that will be taking place across the country by hosting activities for elderly people. Silver Sunday gives the elderly the chance to meet new people as well as revive a traditional sense of community by bringing people together through a variety of activities.

Thrift Urban Housing is a housing charity that supports less privileged people who are in need; people who are capable of taking care of themselves but need solid support in doing so.

Loneliness a Serious Problem for the Elderly

The Silver Sunday event was launched in 2012 by The Sir Simon Milton Foundation with the key incentive being loneliness among elderly people. A report into this issue revealed that over a third of people over the age of 75 felt they were lonely. Silver Sunday gives them the opportunity to leave their homes and brings back a sense of purpose that makes them feel like equal members of society again.

Actress and campaigner Joanna Lumley backs the event and has recently spoken out against the image of elderly people in Western society. “The Far East has a different attitude to old age entirely where the older you get, the more you’re respected and your opinions are sought. That doesn’t happen in this country.”

This subject is something that is particularly close to home for Thrift Urban Housing. Their Befriending Scheme was set up specifically to deal with the issue of loneliness and perhaps more importantly, the vulnerability resulting from loneliness. One of their key initiatives is to help elderly people stay in their homes for as long as possible through the Stay Put scheme, but as a result loneliness can occur and so have an obligation to counter that through the Befriending Scheme.

Celebrities Back the Event       

As well as Joanna Lumley, other high profile figures like London Mayor Boris Johnson, Terry Wogan and Gloria Hunniford also lend their support. Furthermore, the Daily Express has the long running Respect for the Elderly campaign which strives for better treatment of the elderly people in society.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre has released data that shows a quarter of people who receive care still experience loneliness and lack social contact and acquaintances. Six per cent described feeling isolated from society. 22 per cent of elderly people receiving care and 27 per cent who were reliant on help said they lacked significant social interaction.