- Conference
- 2025 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 9 June 2025
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
This Conference notes with concern the increased levels of isolation and loneliness that are being experienced by our elderly communities , many of them being our Retired Members.
A Recent UNISON survey reported that over a third of all older people in Great Britian live alone, and 2.9m feel they have no one to turn to for help and support. Loneliness and isolation can have a hugely detrimental impact on people’s physical and mental health, and is a particularly important issue for women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Recent data from Age Uk estimates that that 7 percent of people aged 65 plus in the UK – equivalent to 940,000 older people – state that they often feel lonely. In addition, 270,000 older people (aged 65 plus) in England can go a week without actually speaking to a friend or family member.
Loneliness is known to negatively impact on our physical and mental well being.
It is linked to an acceleration in frailty and an increase in physical and mental illness, including a 29 percent increase in risk of incident of coronary heart disease plus a 32 percent increase in risk of a Stroke, and 25 percent increased risk of dementia.
No doubt Covid has had a significant impact on older people, many of them now having to cope with the long term health issues as a consequence of having had the virus, or suffering the effects of being locked in their homes for months on end isolated from family and friends and their local communities.
Also as a consequence of 14 years of austerity and the slashing of support services for older people, day centres and luncheon clubs have disappeared, while Leisure Centres, Community Centres and Libraries have been all been cut or closed, leading to a poverty of existence and increased loneliness and isolation for many of our Retired Members.
This has been further compounded by the Labour government’s 2025 Spring Statement which introduced benefit cuts that will affect three million people.
We therefore call upon the National Retired Members Committee to work in conjunction with the NPC, Age UK , Age Concern Scotland and the Scottish Pensioners Forum to raise awareness of the increased isolation being faced by many of our Retired Members.
We need to build a joint Campaign on behalf of our Retired Members to demand the return of funding for these essential support systems that are vital in terms of addressing the loneliness and isolation being experienced by many of our older Communities.