One in Three Older people in Ireland Live Alone: SuperValu Encourages More Time for Chat as it Supports ALONE in Tackling Loneliness in Communities this Christmas

15/11/18 ***NO REPRO FEE*** SuperValu Encourages More Time for Chat as it Supports ALONE in Tackling Loneliness in Communities this Christmas
Pictured are Joan Kelly, Peter Brown and Pat Hussey, ALONE beneficiaries alongside Kevin Dundon and former RTE newsreader Anne Doyle as SuperValu call on the nation to Consider Taking Time to Catch up with someone in their community who maybe lonely this festive season.Pic: Marc O’Sullivan

Thursday, November 15^th, 2018: Christmas can be a very lonely time for many, so SuperValu is set to help address this by supporting ALONE and raise funds to support people who are suffering from loneliness this Christmas. With statistics indicating that there will be over 300,000 people over the age of 65 living alone in Ireland by 2021, there has never been a greater need for action.  SuperValu through a range of fundraising initiatives will amplify the issue of loneliness this Christmas and highlight the importance to reach out to both young and old in the community.

With SuperValu at the heart of 217 communities, this year they are asking their shoppers to Consider Taking Time to Catch up with someone in their community who may be lonely this festive season and drop around to have a chat and cuppa along with a mince pie. A 0.20c donation from all packs of Signature Taste mince pies will go to ALONE. Retailers around the country will also be hosting local coffee and mince pie mornings and wine and cheese evenings on Friday 23^rd and Saturday 24^th of November to raise further funds and awareness for the charity.

SuperValu will also open its special All Things Considered Christmas Café on 41 South William St for two days from the 23^rd – 24^th November from 10am to 8pm. Bring a friend along and enjoy some festive treats, choosing from a menu of Christmas favourites from the Specially Sourced wine range, SuperValu Christmas cakes and sandwiches and Signatures Tastes meats and cheese platters with proceeds from the menu going to ALONE.

Speaking about the Christmas Campaign, ALONE CEO Sean Moynihan said. ‘At ALONE, our mission is to support older people to age at home. We provide friendship, support, and housing to ensure that older people can live independently at home without suffering from loneliness.  Most people aren’t aware of the severe impact loneliness can have on a both physical and mental health. We are delighted to be working with SuperValu on this campaign which highlights the real need for people to consider older people in their community, particularly around Christmas time. Their support with this campaign and across their retailer network helps us to continue the great and vital work that our organisation does.’

Des O’Mahony, SuperValu Marketing Director said, ‘With the statistics on loneliness particularly stark in Ireland there has never been a greater need for action.  SuperValu stores are at the heart of every community across Ireland and we play a pivotal role in providing not just a shop but a place to go to every day to see a friendly face for many elderly people. Coupled with our online delivery service, our retailers are supporting the elderly in every which way we can in communities.  This Christmas, we want to do more and our partnership with ALONE means that we can use our unique position to inspire people to consider time to catch up with someone that they may not have seen for some time and help us raise funds for ALONE to combat loneliness for many elderly people at this time of year.’

Share your Christmas catch up on Facebook.com/SuperValuIreland, on Twitter @SuperValuIRL and on Instagram @supervalu_Irl.

Ends

Irish statistics on loneliness:

• Older people experiencing high levels of loneliness are almost twice as likely to die within six years compared to those who are not lonely. [1]
  • People who reported feeling lonely have 64% greater risk of developing dementia in old age than those who did not feel lonely. [1]
  • Loneliness can be worse for us than well known risk factors such as obesity.[2]
  • Lonely people suffer disproportionately with mental health issues,[3] cognitive decline, hypertension, and are more likely to be admitted for residential or nursing care. [4]
  • Loneliness affects recovery from stroke and the frequency of emergency hospitalisations as well as causing depression and stress. [5]
• For further information contact ALONE on 01 6791032

  [1] Feelings of loneliness, but not social isolation, predict dementia onset: Results from the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly (AMSTEL). Loneliness and risk of Alzheimer disease. Wilson RS, Krueger KR, Arnold SE, Schneider JA, Kelly JF, Barnes LL, et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry (2007); 64, pp.234-240

  [2] Christina R. Victora & Ann Bowling, A Longitudinal  Analysis of Loneliness Among Older People in Great  Britain, The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary  and Applied Volume 146, Issue 3, 2012.

  [3] Cacioppo JT, Hughes ME, Waite LJ, Hawkley LC, Thisted RA. Loneliness as a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Psychol Aging 2006;21,pp140-51.

  [4] Russell DW, Cutrona CE, de la Mora A, Wallace RB. Loneliness and nursing home admission among rural older adults. Psychol Aging 1997(4) pp.574-89.

  [5] CARDI: Loneliness and physical health, (2012), http://www.cardi.ie/userfiles/May%20Loneliness.pdf

[1] Ye Lou, Hawkley LC, Waite LJ et al. Loneliness, health and mortality in old age: A national longitudinal study. Soc Sci Med 2012; 74,pp. 907-914