The Scottish Forum on Isolation and Loneliness launched a manifesto yesterday, signed by VHS, calling on the next Scottish Government to make tackling loneliness a national priority.
This year the Forum, co-facilitated by Befriending Networks and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS), has engaged with more than 120 organisations across the country, including VHS, as it lays out its vision to cut chronic loneliness by half over the next decade.
Why?
- 1 in 5 adults in Scotland experience loneliness
- Disabled people are twice as likely to feel lonely, and 41% of single pensioners felt lonely last week
- Loneliness harms health, wellbeing, and communities
The Forum are urging bold leadership, long-term investment, and collaboration at every level from the next Scottish Government to build a more socially connected Scotland.
