Don't let the elderly get lonely

As I charge towards being classed an elderly person myself it scares me that in my old age yours truly will be one of the forgotten one too.

It's a most frightening experience seeing your friends passing on and realising that year upon year the names in my address book are slowly being crossed out.

Loneliness is the enemy of the elderly and those who live alone especially for those who are unable to get out.

Apparently according to the article referred to earlier 800,000 people are chronically lonely and five million say that television is their main form of company. Isn't this shocking?

The truth is that nobody needs to be lonely indeed there are plenty of activities that one can get involved in from getting involved with a society to joining in my blog by leaving a comment and having a chat on-the-line with my good self.

Sadly in this modern world there is a big gulf between the younger generation and the rest of the world. Could this be the problem with the loss of community spirit in modern society?

How many of today younger generation bother to worry about the old folks living close by?

In fact when was the last time you knocked on the door of an elderly neighbour to see if they needed any shopping brought up from town or even just to say hello to them?

We hear so much about support being put on for the tramps, vagrants and vagabonds who frequent the town centre but what about the senior citizens who made society what it is today?

The internet and video games have created a generation who stay indoors and fiddle about pressing buttons on boxes rather then people who have social contact with others.

In this modern age the so called social networks on the interweb are all about being remote from others and physical interaction does not take place much any more.

Are those who frequent the internet and its newfangled social networking sites actually lonely themselves and the internet is a means to reduce their loneliness?

Perhaps those who make up modern society have lost the ability to mix with others and participate in social interaction?

One thing is for sure if yours truly bumps into someone in the street then I can soon start chatting to them but more often that not they have difficulty keeping the conversation going.

Is the art of conversation dying out thanks to the electronic means of communication?

While so many hide behind modem technology and fail to meet people face to face there is a whole section of the community sitting at home lonely. It's a real shame and something needs to be done about it.

These days so much can be ordered using a phone but sadly despite all the technology you can't order someone to come round and have a chat to keep you company.

What do you think?

*If you are feeling lonely yourself why not leave a comment and I will reply to keep you company.

*My next exciting and enthralling blog will be published on Tuesday evening around 8pm.

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