Loneliness has been a problem during the pandemic and the State of Mind Rugby League Choir our letting people share their voices athat have not been heard for a long time
Loneliness is seen by many as one of the largest health concerns we face. Why? Here are the facts.(courtesy of the Campaign to End Loneliness)
Health risks
Loneliness is likely to increase your risk of death by 26% (Holt-Lunstad, 2015)
Loneliness, living alone and poor social connections are as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. (Holt-Lunstad, 2010)
Loneliness is worse for you than obesity. (Holt-Lunstad, 2010)
Loneliness and social isolation are associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke
Loneliness increases the risk of high blood pressure
Loneliness with severe depression is associated with early mortality and loneliness is a risk factor for depression in later life
Loneliness and social isolation put individuals at greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia
Loneliness and older people
The number of over-50s experiencing loneliness is set to reach two million by 2025/6. This compares to around 1.4 million in 2016/7 – a 49% increase in 10 years
Half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all
Well over half (59%) of those aged 85 and over and 38% of those aged 75 to 84 live alone
Two fifths all older people (about 3.9 million) say the television is their main company
Loneliness and people of all ages
In total , 45% of adults feel occasionally, sometimes or often lonely in England. This equates to twenty five million people.
In 2016 to 2017, there were 5% of adults (aged 16 years and over) in England reporting feeling lonely “often/always” – that’s 1 in 20 adults. Furthermore, 16% of adults reported feeling lonely sometimes and 24% occasionally.
Characteristics of people who are more likely to experience loneliness include: those who are widowed, those with poorer health and those with long-term illness or disability. 43.45% of the group reporting bad or very bad health are often/always lonely.
Areas with a higher concentration of younger people and areas with higher rates of unemployment tended to have higher rates of loneliness during the pandemic.
The State of Mind Rugby League Choir has been blessed to have the input of an experienced international musical director (Steve Thompson) who has worked with some of the world’s finest musicians and penned a song for State of Mind Rugby League Choir. The song is entitled ‘We Are United’ that refers to our ability to have our voices heard again together in a choir and to sing alongside each other on the terraces of rugby matches.
Keep your eyes peeled for more updates as the recording of the song and film that accompanies the song will be out in the non too distant future