Epidemic of loneliness is leading to chronic health problems
Article originally posted by The Irish Examiner. Click here for the full article.
It’s estimated about 400,000 people in Ireland suffer from loneliness. And it increases with age. TILDA (The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing) found more than 37% of people aged 50 and over reported feeling lonely often or some of the time. The figure stood at 36% of those aged 50-64, rising to 45% of 75-year-olds and older.
“Women are more likely to feel lonely than men — 41% compared to 33%. They tend to live longer so they’re probably living without a partner,” says Cathal McCrory, psychologist and senior research fellow at TCD. Loneliness is set to get worse, he says. “Our population is ageing and at a fast pace.”
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