Tendring Community Assets Full Final Report

22 peer support. By extending its services into Tendring, Age Concern will be in a position to develop a similar operational model that works for the Tendring area and its demographic challenges. Initial developments will be a befriending service and an advice service, with more extensive services to follow. 6.7 Loneliness and Isolation 6.7.1 There is a difference between living in isolation and being lonely - one does not necessarily lead to the other, and many people living alone or apparently isolated will not consider themselves to be lonely. For this report the focus is on those people who at some stage negatively experience involuntary social isolation and/or loneliness 6.7.2 Age UK's mapping of loneliness is based on 4 key criteria which have been shown to predict around 20% of loneliness in people aged over 65yrs 17 : - marital status (with widowed or divorced people more likely to report being lonely) - self reported health status, particularly affecting mobility or sensory engagement - age - household size. 6.7.3 Using these factors the map shows 3 wards in Tendring in Harwich, Walton on the Naze and Jaywick Sands have a very high relative risk of residents experiencing social isolation and loneliness 18 . Whilst each of these areas appears to have vibrant community activities this does not seem to assuage the risk of people experiencing social isolation. This is also despite those areas having a relatively higher level of urban density and associated infrastructure and transport links than some wards further inland which show a lower risk. However, Age UK research has found that whilst some studies show that living in a rural area correlates with loneliness, a number of other studies suggest the opposite is the case and in fact report a marginal increase in areas of greater urban density 19 . 6.7.4 Tendring has an above average older population (in common with many coastal towns nationally) with an average of 28% of residents over 65 compared with an England average of 17%. It is estimated that the number of people over 65 years living on their own will have increased by around 17% by 2020. 20 Health data shows a relatively high incidence of hip fractures, and with around 3,000 residents living with dementia but with a low diagnosis rate of dementia 21 the actual figure could be higher. When added to the potential for isolation suggests further socialising support to these communities might be beneficial. 6.7.5 There is no simple package of techniques to tackle loneliness and isolation in older people. An evidence review concludes that whilst most interventions do no harm there are no one-size-fits-all solutions and the best outcomes are achieved through an individual person centred approach 22 . What also emerges strongly is that befriending relationships must be meaningful; the evidence shows people withdraw further if they feel labelled or stigmatised in any way. The evidence also supports the points made by our stakeholders that technology can reinforce social isolation if relied upon as the main source of communication and multiple contact points and methods may be required. 6.7.6 The evidence review also found that social engagement had the most impact for those who were often lonely; for those who were lonely only some of the time or hardly ever 17 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) criteria 18 Age UK Loneliness Maps 2016 ageuk.org.uk/loneliness-maps/england-2016/ 19 Age UK Loneliness Evidence Review; Davidson/Rossall; July 2015 20 Essex Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2017 21 Health indicators in Tendring: appendix A 22 An Overview of Reviews: the effectiveness of interventions to address loneliness at all stages of the UK life course. Prof C Victor et al October 2018