LONELINESS in the elderly is being combated as Age UK Wiltshire received £5,000 for its Click and Connect project.

Retain Healthcare handed the charity for older people the cheque so it could tackle social isolating by giving older people technology such as tablets to communicate with their loved ones.

David Trowbridge, managing director of Retain, said: “Social isolation is known to have a large impact in a person’s overall health and wellbeing, and so by helping to combat this we hope to see a knock-on effect on the rest their lives too.

“By working with Age UK Wiltshire on this project, we are able to refer the people we think would be open to improving the technology they have in their homes. Additionally, we hope that once using the technology becomes second nature for the older people we care for, that they can also pass on these skills to their friends and family, so spreading the positive impact of the project.”

Simon Billingham, acting CEO of Age UK Wiltshire, added: “The pandemic has, and continues to have an extremely negative impact on people’s sense of isolation and loneliness. This is made more acute for those who are not able to utilise technology to connect online. The generous donation from Retain, who share our ambition to promote independence, will help people to overcome these barriers and get connected. The ‘Click & Connect’ project is a collaboration between Age UK Wiltshire, Retain Healthcare, AbilityNet and Wiltshire Sight. A great example of joint working between a care provider and the third sector.”