The Government are looking for innovative ways of tackling problems with health and social care. They are proposing more scanning, more appointments, more Apps. However, the evidence suggests that for an ageing population, loneliness and isolation are the major problems that need to be addressed and simpler interventions would be more helpful to more people.
Being sociable – even in small ways – has big benefits for your health. It lifts your mood, and lowers your stress levels. It is good for your heart, your sleep, and can influence how well you recover from illness. In a Swedish study, which followed 1,200 older people, it was found that those living alone or without close social ties, were at greater risk of developing dementia. Even occasional visits with friends kept the risk of the disease down.
Scientists who deliberately infected healthy volunteers with a cold virus found that those with a rich diversity of social ties were four times less likely to develop a cold than those who were less outgoing. And if they did get a cold, it wasn’t as bad. This turns on its head the excuse of not going out or mixing with others because “you do not want to pick something up”.
It’s not just about having close relationships. You also benefit if you have a wide range of social contacts, including neighbours and others in the wider community. The 2025 SCENE (Senior Citizens of the Exe Valley News & Events) magazine was published in January and is available at the surgery. It contains a multitude of different groups that meet regularly in Silverton and surrounding villages. The other very easily accessible and extremely welcoming weekly event is the Memory Café on Thursday afternoons. This is the pinnacle of community activity to tackle the on-going pressures of caring for patients with dementia but also for others to come and socialise. This is a role that is both giving and taking; those who need the support appreciate it, those providing it will be benefiting from the social activity in all the ways described above.
However, when age affects your ability to get out, seeing people in person becomes harder, then meeting virtually can really help. This is one of the reasons we encourage all our patients who are not currently on-line to make that step with the help of Joan Povey our Digital Social prescriber. Joan runs classes at Room4U and is also happy to visit patients at home to set up new devices so they can discover how easy it is to contact and communicate with friends and family from your armchair. When a grandparent FaceTimes their grandchildren it gives a feel-good factor for both young and old. Joan can be contacted via the surgery reception or ring her directly on 07958 190554.
If the scans and appointments result in increased life expectancy it will not be worth it if the social structures, social care and necessary living environments are not in place to support the ageing population. Health, social care and community are all connected and we are fortunate that in our area there are plenty of opportunities to make this happen.
Dr Anthony O’Brien
Wyndham House Surgery