Welcome to the Uniting Communities Overcoming Loneliness monthly e-news. We’ll keep you up to date with the latest news about loneliness initiatives, research, innovative case studies and data.
Overcoming Loneliness replaces the former Teams platform and Not Alone newsletters.
If you have a story to share about how your work or organisation is overcoming loneliness, please contact us at advocacy@unitingcommunities.org
South Australia
Loneliness by Numbers – a SA snapshot
The Uniting Communities Loneliness by Numbers Snapshot was recently released exploring what is loneliness, who is affected and how do we overcome it.
South Australians are reporting the highest rates of loneliness since March 2020, a 22% increase.
The data found that young adults aged 25-29 and 18-24 are the most affected by loneliness.
We asked South Australians to report their experiences of loneliness, lack of companionship, and feelings of being left out or isolated.
The data revealed:
South Australians are reporting their highest rates of loneliness since March 2020
97% of people aged between 25-29 experienced loneliness often or sometimes
91% of people aged between 18-24 experienced loneliness often or sometimes
South Australians located in regional areas reported higher levels of isolation than those in metropolitan Adelaide.
Read the full report here.
Australia
Neighbour Day 2024
Sunday 31 March is Neighbour Day.
The purpose of this campaign is to raise national awareness of the importance of social connections and the difference neighbourly actions can make to someone’s life.
The campaign encourages people to make meaningful connections that last beyond the day itself.
The official theme for this year’s Neighbours Every Day is ‘Create belonging, Share belonging’ – building on the growing movement of people taking neighbourly actions every day of the year, in person or from a distance.
Whether through a cuppa, a picnic in the park, a neighbourly action, or a message of support, Neighbours Every Day is the perfect opportunity to reach out to community members, both near and far.
Seniors sought for national wellbeing survey
Monash University researchers are seeking input from the nation’s aged care recipients about their social activities, connections and wellbeing to inform a three-year study aiming to reduce social isolation and loneliness in later life.
The 25-minute survey is open to people aged 65 and over who are living in residential aged care or receiving a home care package, and aims to improve the wellbeing and social activities of this cohort.
“It is an opportunity for aged care recipients to have their say and help improve government programs,” said survey lead Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli.
Ending Loneliness Together - training program for workplaces
Lonely employees report more workplace errors, take more sick leave and have a stronger intention to quit.
Ending Loneliness Togethers’ practical training program teaches employees and employers how to build and maintain meaningful relationships in a blended working environment, while also recognising and responding to loneliness in colleagues.
International
Campaign to End Loneliness will close on April 2024 (UK)
Due to a lack of funding, the Campaign to End Loneliness will be closing in April this year.
Founded in 2011, the Campaign to End Loneliness and their networks have worked tirelessly to highlight the health impacts of loneliness in people of all ages, bringing together research, policy and practice to catalyse action.
“We are proud to have built the evidence base through work like Promising Approaches, convened and championed a sector through our conferences and other events, and made the case for action through relentless campaigning in the UK and with partners around the world.”
How the Swedes are tackling loneliness
Watch the new BBC video on how a new housing initiative is tackling loneliness for young adults and older people.
“You can only live in this block of flats if you are under 25 or a pensioner - and you have to socialise. It's all part of a plan to help tackle loneliness in Sweden, a country where over half of all homes only have one occupant.”
The Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health seeks experts
The Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health invites you to participate in helping to inform the development of the world's first public health guidelines for social connection.
These guidelines will be used as part of a population-based health promotion campaign aiming to address loneliness and social isolation, with the goal to advocate for the adoption of these guidelines by national governments around the globe.
The Social Connection Series: lived experiences of people around the world through film
The World Health Organisations (WHO) new Commission on Social Connection has launched a new video series with people with lived experience.
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