“The sad reality of modern life”. It is in these terms that British Prime Minister Theresa May described the loneliness by announcing on Wednesday January 17 the creation of a ministry dedicated to this issue. The scourge of loneliness affects millions of Britons, explained the head of government. She appointed to this post Tracey Crouch, until now Minister Delegate for Sport and Civil Society. “I want to take up this challenge for our society and for all of us to take action in the face of the loneliness endured by the elderly, caregivers, those who have lost loved ones – those who have no one to talk to or share their experiences with. thoughts and experiences with “, explained Theresa May at a press conference, picked up by Reuters.
This appointment is a way of honoring memory by taking up a project by Jo Cox, a 41-year-old Labor MP who was murdered by a far-right extremist before the Brexit referendum in June 2016.
“This is a subject that Jo has been passionate about and we will honor her memory by addressing it, helping the millions of people across the UK who suffer from loneliness,” responded Tracey Crouch after her appointment.
Two million socially isolated elderly people
MP Jo Cox had created a parliamentary committee that transcended parties on the subject. The first works had concluded that loneliness was also harmful to health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Nine million Britons, young and old, are said to suffer from loneliness in the country. a intergenerational scourge but which particularly affects the elderly.
Half of people aged 75 and over live alone in England, or around two million people, recalls the BBC. Most of them can spend days and weeks in complete isolation, without any social interaction.
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