Holyrood committee launch social isolation inquiry

The experiences of lonely and isolated people are set to be heard at Holyrood, as the Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee launches its inquiry into social isolation.

The Committee is calling for views from young and older people experiencing loneliness, and the organisations working to support them. It comes as current research points to social isolation and loneliness and its potentially devastating effect on mental and physical health, particularly in older and younger people. Recent studies have shown that:

• Loneliness can double the impact of obesity, and extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s chances of premature death by 14%
• 59% of adults aged over 52 who report poor health say they feel lonely some of the time or often
• Lacking social connections can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day

Margaret McCulloch MSP, Convener of the Equal Opportunities Committee said: “If you are an older or younger person living in Scotland and experiencing loneliness, we understand that the effects can be devastating. We want to engage with you, understand your views and encourage positive action on your behalf.

“Crucially, we want to encourage best practice on combatting the effects of loneliness to be shared as widely as possible. We are keen to hear from organisations using innovative ways to help lonely people in Scotland access the kind of social opportunities many of us take for granted.”

Ms McCulloch continued: “The key questions for the Committee are: what is the impact of loneliness and social isolation, is this an escalating problem, and how can it be tackled effectively?”

The Committee is seeking views on age and social isolation from individuals, support workers in the health and social services, local authorities and the voluntary sector on the following issues:

• Prevalence of social isolation in urban and rural settings
• Impacts of social isolation, such as loneliness and ill-health
• Best practice and ideas that can be shared across Scotland, including examples of targeted support or initiatives. (This can include housing, health and third sector projects)
• Ideas for potentially improving and influencing policy
• Effective awareness raising of social isolation issues within communities

The deadline for submitting evidence to the Equal Opportunities Committee is Friday, 13th March 2015. The Committee will produce a report on its findings on the extent and impact of social isolation on older and younger people living in Scotland, including policy recommendations, in summer 2015.

For further details on making a submission visit www.scottish.parliament.uk/equalopps