What we do

Contact the Elderly is the only national charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation among older people.

We aim to do this by organising monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of older people (aged 75+) who live alone, and volunteers within their local community, offering a regular and vital friendship link every month.

Each older person is collected from their home by a volunteer driver and taken to a volunteer host’s home for the afternoon.  The group is warmly welcomed by a different host each month, but the drivers remain the same which means that over the months and years, acquaintances turn into friends and loneliness is replaced by companionship.

Our tea parties are a real lifeline of friendship for our older members who have little or no contact with any family or friends.  They bring people of all ages together, develop fulfilling friendships and support networks, and give everyone involved something to look forward to each month.

Find out more about volunteering

See a short film about how the group works

Our unique service

“Knowing I can refer some clients on to a group, once we’ve completed a piece of work and their mood and self esteem have improved, can be a real protective factor in their ongoing psychological well-being and quality of life.  These friendship groups are particularly relevant as social isolation can be such a risk factor for depression.  Contact the Elderly has been a real lifeline for some people I have worked with.”
Michelle Hamill, Clinical Psychologist

Whilst we work closely with numerous statutory and voluntary organisations concerned with older people, our service remains unique.

We provide a group activity that encourages:

• Inter-generational links
• Friendships to develop between older group members and volunteers

Our groups:

• Operate at weekends, when most community services for older people are not available.  Moreover, Sunday has been highlighted to us by our members as being a particularly lonely day of the week.
• Are kept purposely small, and they meet in the welcoming environment of someone’s home.

Increasingly, research highlights the link between loneliness and ill-health in later life, including depression, certain heart conditions and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Find out how you can join as a member or refer someone to a local group