Living with cancer brings many challenges for those affected – and one particularly difficult challenge can be coping with the social and emotional isolation associated with the disease. Each year around 150,000 people over 50 are diagnosed with cancer, and our research suggests 1 in 5 people over 55 with cancer will lack support at…
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Headlines are full of activities that are bad for our health: we eat too much, we drink, and we don’t get enough exercise. But there’s a hidden factor just as damaging to our mental health – that of loneliness. Research shows that strong, loving relationships are crucial to good physical and mental health, and that…
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When an older person moves from familiar surroundings into a care home, it can be an emotional upheaval. For many of us, it will be the final great change in their lives – and come sooner than anticipated. The transition from independence to becoming dependent on others can happen overnight. A fall leading to hospital…
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When we think of problem drinking, we may think of headlines featuring young people drinking heavily or alcohol’s contribution to homelessness. But alcohol misuse among older people is a serious problem: since the 1990s 60% more men and twice as many women have begun drinking at unhealthy levels. And as the UK’s older population grows,…
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The following guest blog  post by Richard Kramer, Deputy Chief Executive of Sense, has been written to complement our new collection of essays, ‘Alone in the Crowd: Loneliness and diversity’. Older people who sight or hearing problems Few conditions can be more isolating than being both deaf and blind. Older people with sensory loss can…
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