Let's share the gravy love

"New analysis by Age UK has found that 278,000 older people in the South East can go for a month without meeting up with a friend, and that 69,000 over 65’s in the region have not even had a conversation with family or friends over the same period.
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Research commissioned by the Charity also found that half a million older people across the UK are expecting to feel lonely this Christmas, of whom four in five (79%) have not sought any help for this. For half of those (52%), loneliness has become a ‘normal’ part of life.

The study also found that for more than half a million older people, Christmas isn’t something to look forward to because it brings back too many memories of people who have passed away and happier times.

This got me to thinking about a Facebook campaign I saw by a local woman; she wanted to invite someone lonely to Sunday dinner. Now we have all seen the adverts where this happens and everything is all amazing and happy families are seen smiling across lovely hot dinners and the old person is settled in and even the dog is there…but is that what life is really like?
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I know if they came to mine I’d burn something and the beautiful crispy roast potatoes would be cooked by Aunt Bessie!! What if the person didn’t like meat or had an allergy to something I’d lovingly cooked.  What if we run out of things to talk about, or they were cold or too hot, or the dog took a dislike to them; then I got really worried what about if they choked on my food…..Oh no.
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Seriously, there really is a lot to think about, inviting someone into your home, but what is the alternative. I’d hate to think of someone alone and sad and I had the power to change that but panic made me stop. Would they even care if my desert didn’t look or taste like Mary Berry’s and that the husband fell asleep after dinner with the odd sound emitting from his body?   There is only one way to find out, let’s do it...  let’s share the gravy love."

Author

Vanessa Worrall, Project Manager, Together in Matson