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Elderly people twice as likely to get help for loneliness in Channel Islands

Elderly people in the Channel Islands are twice as likely to phone a charity helpline about loneliness.

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Elderly and lonely? How to get help

Credit: Jonathan Brady / PA Archive/PA Images

New figures show that elderly people the Channel Islands are twice as likely to get help from a charity helpline for loneliness.

OAP's in the islands call Silverline more than the rest of the British Isles, proportionate to the population.

There are a number of services available to help older people tackle loneliness.

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Islander speaks of elderly loneliness

Islander Dominique Sousa has spoken out about the loneliness she has experienced as an elderly person.

Latest figures show elderly people in the Channel Islands are twice as likely to phone a charity for help with loneliness.

Dominique suffered from loneliness after her husband passed away.

She says she struggled to do anything, including showering and cooking.

It led to her having suicidal feelings and only her cat made her feel she had anything to carry on for in life.

Now she uses Age Concern, a charity for the elderly, and visits them five times a week; it's her only opportunity to be sociable.

I didn't want to get up in the morning, I didn't want to shower, I didn't want to cook, I didn't want to do anything. I'd sit down not evening watching the TV, looking at the four walls saying what am I going to do with my life...I was really at the bottom.

– Dominique Sousa

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Concerns for lonely OAP's in the Channel Islands

Elderly people in the Channel Islands are more than twice as likely to phone a charity helpline than those in the rest of the British Isles, according to the latest figures.

Older people in the Bailiwicks have been the biggest users of The Silverline helpline per head of population since its launch and the charity says there is no sign of the demand falling.

Although one person may make several calls, the rate of calls in the Channel Islands is 13.8% compared to 5.8% for Scotland, which is the next biggest user of the phone line.

The Silverline says the early popularity of the scheme may be down to their high-profile launch on the islands. It's not clear whether that effect is still causing the high rate of calls eighteen months later.

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