Combatting loneliness and isolation in our community
The challenge...
There are 1.2m chronically lonely people in England, and many more across the rest of the UK, making this a major issue that is now recognised in society today.
Over one million older people over the age of 65+ in the UK say they are always or often lonely.
Loneliness can lead to greater reliance on health and social care services and studies suggest that people with a high degree of loneliness are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.
Our aim is to prevent isolation and loneliness by providing companionship, advice, support and services which enable older people in our community, to live the lives they wish to live
At Rotherfield St Martin...
We believe that age is just a number and that older age should be celebrated
We provide innovative, community-led activities enabling older people to lead active and fulfilled lives
We take time to get to know members of our community so that we can offer targetted support
We provide a community hub where people can drop in for support, advice, or just talk
We are always at the end of the phone
And it’s not just about older people in our community. Through intergenerational work we bring young and old together to transform lives
RSM is open as usual (albeit with our team working at different locations) and we will be making regular friendship calls to our members to combat total isolation.
During the Lockdown 3 our fantastic team of RSMParish Pals are back offering support to all members of our community.
Endorsed by Rotherfield Parish Council and supported by skilled volunteers, RSM Parish Pals has been established so that anyone in our community knows how to safely ask and receive help and volunteer.
This time around we will have specific teams delivering prescriptions from St Denys Pharmacy so any requests should come through the RSM office please.
Emergency food parcels can be requested in confidence for those in need. Phone RSM on 01892 853021 to arrange delivery.
For more information or to download the Parish Pals app, please see our dedicated page: Parish Pals