INCREASING THE old age pension could reduce loneliness in the older population, according to an Irish study published in the latest edition of the international Ageing and Society journal.
The research by Dr Jonathan Drennan and his team from UCD's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Sciences found that income was a key factor in loneliness, through its role in helping older people to socialise and keep in touch with family and friends.
"Given that on an international comparison the basic social welfare pension in Ireland is low, this finding supports the case for a review of older people's pensions and benefit levels," Dr Drennan wrote in The Experience of Social and Emotional Loneliness Among Older People in Ireland.
He found the overall level of loneliness in a sample group of 683 over-65 year olds was low and said this replicated the evidence from other studies here and abroad.
Most people surveyed had "large social networks and frequent interactions with relatives, friends or neighbours. The majority attended church regularly and one-half attended community clubs or social groups either regularly or occasionally".
However, the level of "romantic loneliness" was relatively high with women most likely to be romantically lonely.
This could be explained by the fact that women are more likely to outlive their husbands as the research also found that widowed people were more likely to be romantically lonely than single or separated people.
The research found that those who were least likely to be lonely were married, had regular contact with friends and family, relatively good incomes and access to transport.
