A SOLIHULL care home is opening its doors to elderly people who face Christmas Day alone this year.
Ardenlea Court Bupa Care Home on Bucknell Close, Solihull, has partnered up with Community Christmas, a charity which aims to eradicate loneliness.
It is aiming to team up with care providers and other organisations to reach out to those isolated on a day when people can feel particularly alone.
Home manager at Ardenlea Court Lisa Riddle said: “We know loneliness is a growing issue for elderly people.
“It’s great that we are in a position to support Community Christmas by opening our doors on Christmas Day to offer our elderly community somewhere they can enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner and some festive fun in the company of others.
“I know our residents are looking forward to welcoming some new faces to the table on Christmas Day.”
Solihull has a heavily ageing population, the wider implications of which include a likely increase in demand for voluntary and community services, rising numbers of carers and increased risk of social isolation and loneliness.
An estimated 10 per cent of people nationally aged 65 plus are intensely lonely and 20 per cent are mildly lonely, according to the Campaign to End Loneliness.
In Solihull this would equate to approximately 4,000 people being intensely lonely and 9,000 people being mildly lonely, a council report estimates.
Latest figures show nearly 10,500 aged 75 plus live alone, with this estimated to increase by a further 39 per cent by 2030 to over 14,500.
By 2030, around 1,570 of those aged 65 or over are projected to suffer from severe depression – an increase of 340 people on 2017.
