Bluebird Care Stamford & Rutland have made it their mission to tackle loneliness in the older generations, tackling OnePoll results that suggest upwards of 1 million older people spend the equivalent of 2 months every year alone.

Bluebird Care is one of the largest providers of homecare services in the UK. It operates a franchise model with 200 offices delivering more than 20,000 visits per day to customers across the UK.

The team have been working hard to battle loneliness with their homeware services after a OnePoll survey announced that some 1.3 million older people spend the equivalent of two months a year without seeing anyone, according to a poll.

The OnePoll survey of 1,000 over 65-year-olds found that 11% said they spent five days or more a month without seeing anyone.

Across the country, 16% of respondents said they had spent more than a week alone.

Four in 10 (40%) feel lonely either often or sometimes.

Four in 10 (42%) also say they do not have access to support when they are feeling lonely.

There are 11.4 million people in Britain aged 65-years-old or more, according to Age UK, which means 1.3 million older people are spending more than two months a year alone.

Women, who live longer on average, make up 70% of the people over the age of 65.

Older women are twice as likely to spend at least two months a year alone: 1.1 million older women (14%) spend two months a year alone compared to 200,000 older men (7%).

Bluebird Care, a specialist home and live-in care provider, has been working with the elderly in Stamford and Rutland for many years to help tackle loneliness.

Tim Carey, Director at Bluebird Care Stamford & Rutland, said: "Just because people get to a certain age it doesn't mean they want to go out less, or be confined to their homes. Loneliness amongst the elderly has become a huge concern over the past twenty years, which is why we're running our Every Visit Counts campaign. Our Bluebird Care staff go out of their way to ensure the elderly people we work with are given opportunities to go out, socialise with friends and family, and take part in recreational activities. Over the next year we'll be looking at what further links we can build with community organisations and charities to give elderly residents even more opportunities to socialise and spend time with others."

The aim of the campaign is to highlight the high rate of loneliness amongst older people in the UK. Full details can be found online.

The campaign brings expert tips and highlights ways that everyone can help to spot and beat loneliness in society. Bluebird Care is a national provider of care in the home, specialising in working with customers who live with dementia, physical disabilities and many other acute and chronic conditions.

Bluebird Care work alongside their customers' families, social services and the NHS to ensure each person receives the care they need.

Bluebird Care offers a unique service of tailored care visits which range from anything from 30 minutes to full live-in support. As well as personal care they also help with meal preparation, welfare checks, shopping, social trips, visits to the hospital and provide extra support for post-discharge customers.

For more details contact Bluebird Care Stamford & Rutland on 01780 480 881, email [email protected] or visit their website.