LONELINESS drives 115,000 older Scots to the supermarket every day – so they can find someone to talk to, a survey shows. Age Scotland found another 418,000 over-60s go for groceries at least two or three times a week to overcome their isolation.
More than 70,000 people said they would have “no-one to talk to” if they did not go.
The charity estimates that more than 100,000 older people in Scotland are “chronically lonely”, having struggled with a lack of company for several years.
The issue is expected to worsen as life expectancy rises.
Bereavement, ill-health and complex long-term health conditions such as diabetes and arthritis are said to contribute to the problem and the charity warns isolation can contribute to the development of conditions including depression and dementia.
Keith Robson, chief executive of Age Scotland, said: “As people age, their local area usually matters a lot more to them than it did when they were younger because they spend more time in it, and this new research shows that supermarkets are very much part of the community and that they fulfil an important social function for many older people.
“A friendly chat with a member of staff can brighten up an older person’s day and do much more good than most of us would ever guess.
“Loneliness sucks the joy out of life and affects far too many older people, but if we all play our part there’s a lot we can do to tackle the problem. This new research shows that staff in supermarkets and other local shops are very much on the front line in battling one of the scourges of old age today.”
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