Letter: Don't ignore problems of isolation

John Appleyard, by emailA recent programme on BBC Radio 4 dealt with the problem of loneliness and isolation, in an interview a woman made a very telling comment in that she never took photos because she had no one to show them to.
PA Photo/thinkstockphotos.PA Photo/thinkstockphotos.
PA Photo/thinkstockphotos.

She lived in a rural area of Gloucestershire, but wherever you live the problem is the same, empty shops, banks, post offices, pubs, libraries and reductions in public transport.

These service reductions isolate people, particularly the elderly, loneliness leads to poor health, a lack of activity to keep them busy and after eight years of austerity, a lack of cash to spend. According to Age UK, half a million people over the age of 60 spend every day alone. We ignore this problem at our peril.