A national helpline for the elderly has experienced a marked increase in calls as the holiday season draws near with many pensioners expressing intense sadness at not receiving regular visits from their "grown-up" children.
The co-ordinator of the Senior Helpline, Mary Nally, said callers had been contacting the service in increasing numbers in recent days to talk about their feelings of isolation as the Christmas festivities get under way.
"It is just a lonely time. People are commuting to work and it is taking them one and half to two hours and then they get home and have small children to take care of," she says.
"They seem to have less and less time to visit their elderly parents, relatives or neighbours. Society has changed so much.
"Now at Christmas more and more people are going on holidays abroad. Which means their elderly parents or relatives can go the whole of Christmas without seeing anyone."
Ms Nally said Christmas was a time for hidden loneliness and heartache with the true meaning of the season often being forgotten about in the hustle and bustle of buying gifts.
She urged families to spare a thought for distant relatives who may be alone this Christmas Day. Often times the relative is the only surviving member of their family - their heartache is compounded by the fact that many of their peers have died.
Ms Nally added that it was important for people to reach out to elderly or housebound neighbours who may feel increasingly isolated as the dark and inclement nights set in.
Meanwhile, the Senior Helpline which operates from 13 centres nationally, has 300 trained volunteers on its books. Volunteers have noticed that men are becoming more comfortable about calling the helpline with the figure of male and female callers now reaching a 50/50 rate.
The Senior Helpline has grown rapidly since its inception nine years ago.
It is a peer-to-peer service, in that the trained volunteers who take the calls are older people aged 60-92.
The Senior Helpline received more than 8,000 calls last year - a 25 per cent increase on the previous year.
Almost 70 per cent of callers are aged between 50 and 75. Calls are also received from people concerned about older relatives and friends.
"Our lines are open seven days a week, 365 days a year and callers to the helpline are guaranteed to hear the voice of another older person at the end of the line," Ms Nally said.
The helpline number is 1850 440 444. Calls are charged at the same rate as local calls.