The fact that chronic loneliness is on the rise is deeply worrying because it can wreak havoc on our physical health, emotional wellbeing and relationships.
According to an ABC Everyday article I was recently reading, experts are warning of the possibility of a loneliness epidemic, with one in four Australians reporting feeling lonely at least once a week.
This piece, however, also shared many useful tips about how we can begin to address feeling lonely, which is great and they’re worth checking out.
Reading about this issue causes me to reflect on one of the most wonderful things I’ve seen in our communities over the past 25 years or more, which is the transformation we see in people, both singles and couples, after they settle in.
From time to time, we’ve seen people start off being timid or withdrawn when they move in to six months later being the life of the party and we’re wondering where this person came from!
Now, that extreme doesn’t happen to everyone of course, but for most people, there’s a noticeable change in their personality, sense of wellbeing and general happiness when they’re with their new friends.
They go on day trips together, enjoy bridge, mahjong, aqua aerobics, arts and crafts, lawn bowls or darts; it’s easy for people to be as involved or as private as they like.
At Helena Valley Lifestyle Village, we see these inspiring transformations every day and we’re so happy to be able to contribute to, in a small way, tackling the loneliness epidemic for the people who move in here.
It’s a great thing to look back on and realise we’ve done a good thing.
– Project Director John Green
Reference: Feeling isolated? You’re not alone. Here’s why 1 in 4 of us is lonely – ABC Everyday
Information in this article is true and correct as of 4 December 2023.
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