“I go into a cafe, but people don’t always speak to you. People don’t see you, because you’re old.”
Chitra, 76, is just one of thousands of elderly people in the UK who feel lonely.
Social isolation can be devastating at any time of the year, but new data from Contact the Elderly suggests the loneliness epidemic is particularly acute in January.
The number of socially isolated older people who reach out to the charity for support increases over winter. In the past three years, enquiries increased by an average of 86% between December and January.
Chitra chose to star in the short film above, alongside Harry (93) and June (76), to raise awareness about the impact of loneliness and encourage the public to do more to help.
The film, titled ‘Break the Silence’, comes a day after Tracey Crouch was made the first ever minister for loneliness to help tackle the widespread problem.