Thousands of older people will feel lonely this Christmas

Age NI’s ‘No one should have no one at Christmas’ campaign focuses on people like Terry and Eddie, who attend a day centre in Belfast.

They were referred to the centre through Age NI’s First Connect service, which provides one-to-one support for older people who are going through difficult times.

When Doreen, Terry’s wife of 56 years, passed away, he found himself in a very lonely place.

Terry said: “I love company and conversation. I come to the men’s club at the day centre one day a week and I look forward to it. There’s only so much TV you can watch. When you’re home alone, without anyone calling, day in, day out, it’s hard to see the good in anything. I come here and I have fun – it’s just one day, but it’s the best day in the week.”

Eddie was married to Kathleen for 40 years. She sadly passed away, having lived with dementia for some time. Eddie misses her greatly, and in recent years, has found that health problems have increased his loneliness and isolation.

Linda Robinson, Age NI chief executive, said: “Loneliness is a very personal battle and can be triggered by so many of life’s challenges. Most of us can remember a time when someone was there to help us – a family member, a friend, a neighbour. It’s amazing the difference that a kind word or a comforting hug can make when we’re feeling sad and alone.”