DUBLIN, Ireland, March 22 (UPI) -- Almost 50,000 older people in Ireland live in loneliness, with minimal social contacts and a limited social network, The Irish Times reported Tuesday.
However, the good news is that 73 percent of Irish seniors are not socially isolated and are part of a support network that includes family, friends and neighbors. Ninety percent of Irish seniors said they attend religious services, according to a report from the National Council on Aging and Older People.
Older people in Ireland are also less likely to live alone and more likely to live with relatives than their counterparts in other European countries. Eighty percent of the seniors surveyed said their nearest relative lives within 5 miles.
Among Irish seniors, isolation is greatest for those over 80, single or widowed women, and the poor and ill-educated.
Factors that increased isolation included poor health, bad weather, fear of the dark, poor roads and lack of transport, the report said.
The chairwoman of the council, Eibhli Byrne, called for more resources to support older people but added that "the impersonal hand of government is no substitute for the friendly hand of communities and neighbors."
