In an unusual event, our weekly club meeting speaker Ros Thomas arrived via Zoom from Perth and was interviewed the same way.
Ros has won a Churchill Fellowship to visit UK, Holland and Sweden early next year to study how they deal with the “silent epidemic” of loneliness. This condition is not only sad for individuals but degrades their health and causes significant strain on health facilities. Up to one in five Australians live alone and suffer loneliness
Ros described how the UK now has a Minister for Loneliness, and various city councils have geared up to meet the high demand for people’s social connections.
In UK and Sweden, young people and students are invited to live in community villages rent-free or discount-rent, on condition they connect for up to 30 hours a month with elderly and isolated residents.
The picture shows Ros in Sydney presenting to fellow Churchill winners. On return from Europe Ros will use her journalist experience to propagate such solutions in Australia.