BEING lonely isn't just a feeling, it's a harmful chronic condition akin to suffering from a long term physical illness, and according to medical professionals it now affects a million elderly people.

While the issue is widespread across many parts of the UK, it is especially common in South Cumbria, according to Age UK's deputy chief executive for Barrow, Joanne Smith.

"We are geographically challenged, we are isolated up here and families often move away to find work and so lots of people get left without the family network they would have had.

"We no longer know the people next door to us and times are changing.

"As we all age we go through problems with ill health and if you don't have a strong network it can be easy to fall into loneliness.

"Lots of people are willing to talk abut it now, they aren't as embarrassed," said the 44-year-old.

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RespectAbility

Mrs Smith and her team have been working hard to reach out to members of the community who might be feeling isolated and cut off, through their RespectAbility programme which launched in 2014.

The Big Lottery funded programme aims to engage anyone over the age of 50 who might be at risk of isolation, but for staff at the Barrow and District centre, men are becoming a growing concern.

"Loneliness is a year round issue for us which we need to tackle.

"I think the difficulty is encouraging people to come out and be engaged.
" About 44 per cent of our visitors are men, it's quite a high number for us to see.

"For men it's especially important as they are less social when they are no longer working and they can become extremely isolated.

"Men are more likely to find it difficult to engage," added Mrs Smith.

For that reason, the charity have introduced a wide range of classes and activities geared at making it easier for men for to come along and participate.

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From woodwork to furniture restoration sessions, they also offer knitting groups and insist on "breaking down barriers."

Small efforts

The groups are seen as a way to try and help improve both physical and mental health without the intervention of a GP.

A spokesperson for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT) warned that loneliness can increase during the winter months as people are less active.

Claire Molloy, Chief Executive Cumbria Partnership Foundation Trust, added: "We can all do our bit - take the time to get in touch with an older friend, relative or neighbour.

"Why not give them a phone call, arrange a visit or offer to run some errands?

"These are small efforts to go to that could make an incredible difference to someone."

Younger people

And while older people are deemed more likely to be 'at risk,' the invitation has been extended to younger residents across the community who might also be in need of some human interaction.

Mrs Smith said: "We are always looking for new volunteers to help out.

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"The the comments we get is that we have thrown people a lifeline and people have made great friendships from coming.

"Going to a new club can be daunting for any age so we try to make everyone as welcome as possible, and volunteers of all ages run the groups so it's a vibrant environment."

Giving back

And it doesn't just stop there- groups which run as part of the charity's long standing RespectAbility campaign now serve a dual role in giving people a social outlet, and creating goods which are sold in Age UKs newest shop.

The RespectAbility store in Lakeland House, Barrow showcases home-made gift cards, woodwork and crafts which is available to buy.

Mrs Smith added: " Sustainability has always been a really important part of RespectAbility and everyone has been really busy over the past few months coming up with new and exciting products all of which are now available to buy ."

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What are the symptoms of loneliness?

While these may vary person to person, general feelings of loneliness include:

-Continuous low mood or sadness

-Feeling hopeless and helpless

-Having low self-esteem

-Feeling tearful

-Feeling guilt-ridden

-Finding it difficult to make decisions.