Many people are lonely Death They are very afraid of losing their mouths. In the words of fictional character Bridget Jones alone and ‘to be found three weeks later half eaten by dogs.’
It is a sad fact that people die alone in their homes. They are so socially isolated that their death goes undetected for days, weeks, months or even years. This issue is very serious and should be taken seriously. This problem is fast becoming a reality in many countries.
There have been disturbing and visible incidents that have caught our attention. For example, the case of Joyce Vincent. In 2006, a 38-year-old woman was found dead in her London flat. This incident shocked the nation.
Carol Morley’s emotional and inspiring film ‘Dreams of a Life’ was inspired by this incident. And then there are the more common, everyday occurrences that don’t make headlines or make movies regarding them but are equally painful.
Such incidents are common in Japan, where the so-called ‘lonely death’ epidemic continues to spread. This epidemic has become so common that the word ‘kodukshi’ is being used for it.
According to the new data released by the police, in the first three months of 2024, 22 thousand citizens lost their lives due to loneliness. No attention was paid to them. It is expected that this number will reach 68 thousand by the end of the year. These solitary deaths account for regarding four percent of Japan’s 1.59 million annual deaths.
This situation is partly a result of population aging. After dying in isolation, 80 percent of those eventually discovered were 65 years of age or older.
Given this fact, an increasing number of people are spending their last years alone. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of people living alone in Japan increased by 13.3 percent, accounting for 38 percent of all households in the country. This means that 7.38 million people over the age of 65 live alone at home.
Japan’s Health Minister Keizo Takemi says, ‘In the future, the possibility of death due to loneliness is certain to increase. It is important that we tackle this issue head on.’
Japan is not alone in this problem. According to the charity Age UK, around 4.2 million people in the UK over the age of 65, regarding 7.5% of the total population, live alone.
Perhaps even more important is the fact that more than 1 million older adults say they live alone and are likely to go more than a month without talking to a friend, neighbor or family member. .
According to Caroline Abrahams, Director of AgeU: ‘Loneliness as we age can make life miserable for many of us. This can make us less able to cope with life’s pressures and difficulties and we feel cut off and left behind.’
‘Prolonged loneliness’ is a term used for people who answered ‘often and always’ in an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey. Such people are asked ‘How often do you feel lonely?’ After the covid epidemic, the number of people living alone has increased.
According to an analysis conducted by the Campaign to End Loneliness, the number of people living alone has increased from 6% of the population to 7.1% between 2020 and 2023. This means five million more people in the UK are constantly feeling lonely than in the first year of the Covid restrictions.
Loneliness is not only bad for our mental health, but it is also linked to poor physical health. Campaigners to end loneliness say research shows that loneliness causes high blood pressure and severe depression. It causes sleep disturbances and can even increase the risk of premature death by 26 percent.
Being alone can increase the likelihood of ‘lonely death’.
A study into deaths in England and Wales to 2023 shows that social isolation and an increase in older people living alone has led to a painful ‘housing’ in the UK.
The team, led by Oxford University’s Dr Lucinda Hyam and pathologist Dr Theodore Astern Sirloi, analyzed the ONS data and identified a worrying trend. Since 1979, there has been a steady increase in deaths involving mutilated bodies. That is, these deaths were undetected for regarding a week or more.
There is no formal way of recording dead bodies in the UK, so the research developed an algorithm relating deaths recorded as ‘unknown’ or ‘unexplained’ as to cause, which is usually Used in cases where the cause of death cannot be determined because the body was decomposed.
Dr. Astern Sirloi says that the number of cases of solitary deaths we hear regarding is very small, even though the problem is huge. ‘Many people live alone and socially isolated. But if they get sick and reach the hospital before they die or their body is found within a week of death. (When the cause of death is yet to be known.) then such cases will not be part of our research.’
Dr Sirloi’s research also found a ‘significant’ increase in the number of people who died alone over the past year over the age of 50 and whose bodies were not found for a week or more. might walk This number has increased from 0.1 to 0.2 per 100,000 people in the late 1970s to 4 per 100,000 people in 2022.
The most rapid increase occurred from 1995 to 2005, but the rate has been steadily increasing since then. According to the latest research by Dr. Eastern Sirloi, the official number of ‘lonely deaths’ last year was between eight and nine thousand.
It is a problem that affects men over 60 at a much higher rate than women over 60. Seven out of 100,000 men suffer from this problem, while the figure is 2.5 out of 100,000 women.
People living in cities are more affected than those living in suburbs. According to research, the number of lonely deaths in central London is double that of Hertfordshire.
Why did such an increase in deaths occur? There are many theories regarding this. Some believe it is because of the lockdown during the Covid pandemic that kept people isolated for long periods of time. Others believe it’s because our lives have become more digital, so we’ve lost touch with people we didn’t value.
Changes in family structure, loss of formal and informal social ties and rising divorce rates are also factors in lonely deaths. There may be many people in this regard.
This problem is expected to get worse. As our population continues to grow, we are predicted to catch up with countries like Japan and South Korea in the next two decades, where people aged 50 and over make up half of the population. is more
“The statistics don’t show that this problem will be solved,” says Dr. Astern Sirloi.
“If our population and birth rate change over time, like Japan’s, based on our data and trends, I predict that we will probably expect to see more cases of codicide in the coming decades.”
An elderly citizen looks out to sea in Falmouth, southwest England, on March 10, 2015 (AFP/Jack Taylor)
Despite facing a similar future to Japan, Britain has yet to recognize it in the same way. Awareness of this problem has led to social patrols and specific initiatives by housing authorities.
In the Tokyo suburb of Tokiwadira, for example, a residents’ organization has set up a hotline for people concerned regarding their neighbors to report the situation to authorities, British newspaper The Guardian reported. can The apartment complex also launched a ‘Zero Lonely Death’ campaign 10 years ago.
Experts argue that we too will face this crisis of isolation. Age UK is calling for massive change at national level.
“Governments need to make tackling and ending loneliness a policy priority, whether to protect older people from loneliness or help those who already experience it to reconnect,” says Abrahams. Funds should be provided for the sake of.
‘At EdgeUK we call on the next government to come forward with a new national strategy on loneliness, with a minister to deliver this strategy, supported by a team made up of people from all government sectors. .’
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At a more local and personal level, AgeUK has highlighted the point that we can all ‘do our part’. Can find old friends, neighbors and relatives. Can have a friendly conversation with an elderly person in a bus or shop. Offer to help an old neighbor or call relatives regularly.
‘Which can do a lot more good than most of us realize.’ She emphasizes that if you have an immediate concern for someone’s safety, you should contact the police.
Although most of the horror headlines are regarding people whose bodies go undiscovered for a disturbingly long time. Examples of this are people like Joyce Vincent. The real tragedy of lonely deaths is the result of lonely lives.
According to Dr Astern Sirloi: ‘I want to advocate for dying people and talk regarding their dignity. The death of people in such a state that no one finds out, is in itself a terrible and sad thing.
“Nobody wants to die lonely, but if people are forgotten at the time of death, it probably means they were forgotten or neglected in life.” This is the severity of a much larger problem affecting society – increasing social isolation of people of all ages.’
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2024-07-09 05:55:15