According to a study by the Senior Citizens’ Association, contact with others is even more important for the elderly in Upper Austria than not having major health problems. The number of single-person households has more than doubled in the past four years.
For two-thirds of Upper Austrians aged 60 and over, it is very important “not to be lonely in old age, but to have regular contact with other people”. Only behind this, if only just, is health: for 65 percent of seniors it is very important “not to have major health problems”. This is evident from a study by the Seniors Association.
233,000 single households
“Loneliness is our silent companion and affects more people than we think,” say chairman of the seniors association Josef Pühringer and director Franz Ebner. This is also reflected in the raw figures: in 1981 there were approximately 108,000 single-person households in our country. Two years ago there were already 233,000.
According to the Seniors Association, there are many reasons to be alone in old age: We are more mobile and therefore children and grandchildren often do not live nearby. In old age, spouses or close friends have often already died.
Seniors association offers activities
“Loneliness is a cause of illness, but one that you can do a lot about,” say Pühringer and Ebner. The Seniors Association therefore offers an extensive Christmas program. For example: Baking cookies together for the elderly and nursing homes or offering a conversation for seniors every Friday in Advent.
Source: Krone
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