Older people need more human contact to blossom

The Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) says daily human contact for the elderly is necessary, after revealing 32 elderly people a day die alone at home.

The organisation claims 72% of the people it works with only see up to two people a day and 8% see nobody.

Mark Lever, chief executive of the WRVS, said the problem was of mobility.

"Few understand the multiple impacts that loneliness can have, it can be the difference between life and death," he said.

"Housebound and deprived of human contact, older people go downhill rapidly in both physical and mental terms."

Home alone

The charity's demands come in the light of research - carried out with the NOP research group - published on Monday.

According to the survey, 75% of the WRVS's customers rarely leave the house each day, compared to 63% of the general public spending less than half a typical day at home.

As one of the UK's largest voluntary organisations - with some 95,000 volunteers - the WRVS helps thousands of older people through its local transport schemes and other community services, as well as delivering about nine million meals.

Mr Lever continued: "It is up to all of us to consider how the needs of older people can be met through increased human contact, giving them the choice to live independently and with dignity."

His call coincides with the launch of a new corporate identity for the WRVS with the slogan Make It Count.

With their new image the WRVS hopes to attract new volunteers and to promote itself as a modern, social service provider.