An initiative that encourages people to send Christmas cards to their local care homes is returning for a third year.
AdvertisementCards for Kindness, which was originally set up by Lancashire County Council in 2018, is designed to help reduce loneliness in older people.
A spokesperson for organisers Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria said: “Loneliness is a growing problem among older people, and in care homes it can be a particularly difficult issue to resolve.
“Figures from Age UK show that 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with friends or family for a month, and 60 per cent of people in care homes get no visitors.
“With changing family and community structures and an ageing population, increasing numbers of people, especially older adults, are becoming socially isolated or lonely.
“It’s always lovely to receive a card through the post and this, in turn, promotes lots of conversations, bringing back happy memories and encouraging residents to talk to others. Research shows this has many health benefits, especially for people living with dementia.”
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To send a Christmas card all you need to do is write one, attach a stamp and pick a local care home to send it to. You can find your local care home in the list below:
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Will you be joining in with Cards for Kindness? Let us know in the comments.