Feeling lonely bad for health

Lonely Wanganui residents are suffering ill-health due to a lack of social contact.

But a "visiting programme" by Age Concern is helping to comfort vulnerable pensioners who are on their own.

The Loneliness in New Zealand report, published by Statistics New Zealand, found the chances of feeling lonely decreased as people got older.

Social isolation was equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes or drinking six units of alcohol a day, according to the research.

The report showed 18 per cent of people aged under 30 had felt lonely at least some of the time in the previous four weeks.

Among those aged 30 to 64 years, 16 per cent had felt lonely. Among people aged 65 and over, the figure was just 11 per cent.

Wanganui Age Concern spokeswoman Tracey Lynn said her organisation ran a visiting programme with elderly for the "very reason" of avoiding loneliness. "Social isolation and loneliness is a key reason Age Concern across New Zealand provides an accredited visiting service," she said.

"We know it is a problem and ill-health can be a result of that."

For some elderly Wanganui residents, the only contact they had with others could be with the meals on wheels driver, Ms Lynn said.

"We are absolutely aware - as is the Ministry of Health - that this is a key issue for older people."

Ms Lynn declined to comment on the study's findings. "I can't comment about any age group other than those 65-plus, but we do know that from an Age Concern perspective, there are four things that are key in our organisation and one of them is social isolation and loneliness."

The study found the likelihood of young Asian people feeling lonely was twice that of young non-Asian respondents. Adults who had migrated to New Zealand in the last four years were also more likely to suffer.

Victoria University migration specialist Professor Colleen Ward said when people moved to a new country, they rarely had support networks in place, and so had to start more or less from scratch.

"They're starting without the advantages of people who have been situated for quite a while and have their supports in place."

APNZ