Resources

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Please be aware that during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic all Better Together staff are working from home. The Better Together Helpline is currently operating usual hours, but experiencing high demand due to an increased number of people who are isolated, so do keep trying if you are unable to get through.    Some of our other services may be affected so follow us on Facebook and Twitter for further information and regular updates.  If you wish to contact a member of our Team, please go to Our Team page for staff email addresses and work mobile numbers. Thank you.  (March 19, 2020)

There is increasing awareness of the the negative impact that loneliness and social isolation can have on our physical and mental health and wellbeing.  Anyone who is directly affected by loneliness or who is working with clients affected by loneliness will find the following information and resources useful.

• This JSNA Briefing Document from Norfolk Insight gives local and district statistics about loneliness, plus links to other research.
• The Government’s A Connected Society from the Department of Culture Media and Sport presents their strategy for tackling loneliness
• The Campaign to End Loneliness is one of the leading charities working to fight loneliness nationally and has a wealth of resources, information and guidance on their website.
• Age UK has lots of information on its website about loneliness in older people, including their Age UK Loneliness Heat Map which shows the relative risk of loneliness across 32,844 neighbourhoods in England, taking in to account marital status, self-reported health status, age and household size.
• We also like Leicestershire County Council’s Tackling Loneliness in Leicestershire toolkit which provides lots of info and tips on how to combat loneliness in communities.
• And Independent Age has published a useful Advice Guide for lonely elderly people.