Brighton Care Home Helps To Combat Loneliness At Christmas

Patcham Care Home, in Brighton, is helping to combat loneliness this festive season by donating gift boxes for people living alone.

The staff, residents and families at the home on Eastwick Close have collected 20 gift boxes filled with toiletries, gloves and treats including mince pies. Ten of the gift boxes will be given to Age UK Brighton & Hove and the other ten will be given to Martlets hospice in Hove.

Analysis by Age UK* has found that 278,000 older people in the South East can go for a month without meeting up with a friend, and that 69,000 over 65s in the region have not even had a conversation with family or friends over the same period. The study also found that for more than half a million older people, Christmas isn’t something to look forward to because it brings back too many memories of people who have passed away, and happier times.

Age UK Brighton & Hove is an independent charity that has been working in the local community to help older people since 1965. Martlets, opened in 1997, is a local charity that provides terminally ill people in Brighton and Hove with care and support.

Patricia Hurst, home manager at Patcham Care Home, said: “It’s really important to everyone at our home that we are part of the community and supporting local causes such as these.

“Living alone at any time of year can be lonely, but especially at Christmas and we wanted to do everything we could to bring a smile to people’s faces on Christmas day.”