Reducing social isolation
Loneliness is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. Research shows that loneliness is associated with a greater risk of inactivity, smoking, increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, increased risk of depression, low self-esteem, reported sleep problems and increased stress response.
There are a large range of preventative initiatives in Brighton and Hove, but these are not universally available or necessarily easy to access for all who need them.
Our Ignite partnership brought the Living Lab into a community pub to explore loneliness locally and held meetings with ‘Community Connectors’ – volunteers who are vital to running a range of activities locally.
As a result of the Lab, the partnership has been in discussion with a company about trialling a telecommunication device to engage isolated citizens.