The author of a new report on loneliness in older people says it can have very severe impacts on their mental and physical well-being.
The study, carried out by Mercer's Institute for Research on Ageing in St James's Hospital, followed 100 older people experiencing loneliness in Kilkenny, Meath and Dublin over a ten week period.
It found that loneliness could be reduced in the elderly by simple and low-cost community intervention, such as people visiting them for one hour a week.
A conference being held in Dublin today will explore the impact of loneliness on older people, with organisers saying loneliness kills more older people than cancer.
Research shows that 35% of Irish people over 65 and living in their own home have reported feelings of loneliness, while it has also been found that loneliness doubles the risk of death among older people.
Connolly Norman Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at Trinity College and Consultant Psychiatrist at St. James's Hospital, Brian Lawlor, was a principal investigator on the new study.
He told Breakfast this morning that loneliness can seriously impact on older people, and talked about how it could double their risk of death:
