THE countdown to Christmas is now on and residents are being encouraged to send a card to their local care home to brighten up someone's day.

Cards for Kindness, a campaign to tackle loneliness and isolation amongst older people, launches today.

The campaign is now in its third year, but this time it's even more important that people get involved.

There are more than 11,000 people living in the region's care homes and because of the Covid-19 outbreak and restrictions in place, some of our residents may face feelings of loneliness and isolation more than ever this year.

This means receiving a Christmas card will be particularly important. It's always nice to receive post and opening a Christmas card helps to promote a feeling of connection to the local community, as well as initiating conversations among the residents and bringing back happy memories.

Research shows that these conversations can have many health benefits, particularly for people who are living with dementia.

Talib Yaseen OBE, Executive Director of Transformation from the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System, said: “Cards for Kindness is a wonderful way to spread a little Christmas spirit by sending a festive greetings card to people living in our local care homes.

“Cards for Kindness is a joint project, with local authority, NHS, education and voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations working together to reduce loneliness of care home residents.

“We know that Cards for Kindness has made a big impact in previous years with residents and staff telling us how much joy the cards have brought and how they have sparked nostalgic conversations about Christmases gone by.”