This year, Loneliness Awareness Week Australia falls from 5 to 11 August championing all of us to challenge loneliness and embrace connection.  

Loneliness Awareness Week has an incredible array of resources freely available online. Learning about loneliness is key to first recognising it, then understanding it, and hopefully sending it packing.   

Here are some helpful tips on how to talk about loneliness and social isolation. 

Avoid 

• Showing images of a person in isolation. This is not accurate as you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. 
• Portraying people as shy, introverted, or somehow flawed. Avoid terms such as loner. This is not accurate as loneliness is largely influenced by external factors outside of an individual's control. Using the term lonely people. Say “People who feel lonely” or “people who experience loneliness”. 
• Promoting loneliness as an issue only older people experience. It affects all age groups, and research shows people aged 18-25 and 45-54 are most vulnerable. 
• Trivialising loneliness. We know that ongoing or chronic loneliness has serious implications on health and wellbeing. 
• Suggesting a one size fits all solution. Just because joining a group helped one person, does not mean it will help someone else. 

Do 

• Portray loneliness as a normal human emotion. Loneliness is a feeling that we can’t see - the best way to know if someone is lonely is to ask them. 
• Promote that loneliness is common and can affect anyone. It affects approximately 1 in 3 Australians of all ages and stages of life. Encourage solutions that are the responsibility of all of us, not just the person who feels lonely. A sense of belonging and meaningful social connection in our community, schools, and workplaces are also key protective factors against loneliness. 
• Share helpline information and the Ending Loneliness Together Directory. It is important for people experiencing loneliness to have avenues for support and making meaningful connections with others. 

Read the State of the Nation Report: Social Connection in Australia 2023 for a deep dive into loneliness and social isolation. The Report includes insights from over 4,000 people aged 18 years and over and provides a snapshot of Australia’s understanding and experiences of loneliness and social isolation. The report explores the knowledge, concealment, community stigma, and shame towards loneliness in Australian society. It also explores the impacts of loneliness on health, wellbeing, and workplace productivity. 

One of our major home care services is companionship, socialisation, domestic assistance, and transport. Right at Home caregivers help with numerous daily activities, as well as basic peace-of-mind services for families and their loved ones. These services assist in combatting loneliness and isolation in elderly Australians. Many Right at Home offices also organise Group Social Activities that assist in clients making friendships and learning new skills or just connecting over lunch or morning tea. For more information on our companionship and socialisation services, contact your local office today.

Keep up to date with COVID 19 information via the following links: 

Australian Government Department of Health 

Victorian Health and Human Services 

NSW Health 

Queensland Health 

ACT Health 

WA Department of Health 

Tasmanian Department of Health 

Northern Territory Department of Health 

SA Health 

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care, and assistance to seniors (elderly and aged care), and any adult who needs our care at home including adults living with a disability who want to continue to live independently or age in their home. Right at Home is your local expert for issues related to caring for your loved ones and is dedicated to keeping you informed about home care. With no package management fees, Right at Home allows you to get more care from your package or budget. 

Right at Home is a 'My Aged Care' government approved, home care provider for levels 1 – 4 and offers flexible in-home care services such as nursing care, after hospital care, post-operative care, respite care, dementia and Alzheimer's care. Right at Home also offers assistance with daily living and personal care such as grooming, hygiene, transport, shopping, meal prep, domestic services and social support, so your loved one can enjoy a more independent, vibrant life. Our nurses and caregivers are screened, highly trained, and insured prior to entering your home so you can trust us with the caregiving while you focus on your loved one. 

To find out more, please give us a call on 1300 363 802 or visit our website. 

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