Nicola Sturgeon has shown support for a national loneliness campaign and urged the public to look out for those who are alone.
The first minister’s remarks come after an elderly woman’s body was discovered at an an address on Allison Close in Cove and, as revealed by the Evening Express, it is understood she had been dead for years.
North-east MSP Liam Kerr highlighted the report of an “elderly man experiencing extreme loneliness following his devoted wife’s passing several years ago”.
He said that Age Scotland estimated before the pandemic that “every street in Scotland housed a chronically lonely older person and it’s only got worse”.
Mr Kerr asked Ms Sturgeon when a national loneliness campaign would be introduced to “try to ensure that what we heard about in Aberdeen might never be repeated”.
‘We’ve all got a part to play’
The first minister said the government needs to look at how it “supports people to reconnect” as Scotland emerges from the pandemic.
She added: “Loneliness, which was already an issue before the pandemic, has undoubtedly been exacerbated.
“And as we do that I think a loneliness or tackling loneliness awareness campaign will be part of what we do.
“We’ve all got a part to play in that. I think now more than ever is a time to be thinking of, perhaps, elderly people or people who are alone in our own networks, whether it’s neighbours, friends, family members, and how we can reach out and help.
“I would absolutely endorse the promotion of the Age Scotland helpline 0800 12 44 222 and round about exactly this time last year I visited Age Scotland to announce the funding to expand that helpline to enable them to help more people through the pandemic.”
Police investigation
Officers were called out to an address on Allison Close on Thursday afternoon as an alert had been raised after the woman did not show up for a Covid-19 vaccine.
It is understood she had been dead for several years and her husband had said, when asked where she was, that she was abroad.
A police investigation was launched with the death being treated as “unexplained”.
Forensics officers were seen going in and out of the property where the woman lived with her elderly husband and the house is now boarded up.
Charity Age Scotland has called on people to look out for older people in their communities, highlighting that isolation among older people is a growing issue with tens of thousands of people going days or even weeks without receiving a friendly call or visit.