DBET helping combat loneliness and isolation with Xmas Dinner
DBET helping combat loneliness and isolation with Xmas Dinner
6 Jan 2022 by Sandra Wright Events
The 8th of December saw the first Devon Business & Education Trust (DBET) Christmas dinner to help combat loneliness and isolation on the Elderly in East Devon – this with the help of a grant from Western Power. Attendees from the local area stretched from Feniton, Ottery St Mary and Payhembury.
The Charity (DBET) put on a Christmas lunch event with catering done by a local caterer Caroline Bentley. The 3-course meal using local supplies including veg from Rabbit and Co. started with a wild mushroom soup, followed by turkey with all the trimmings and then finished off with a crème brulee and poached pear pudding teas and coffees. Attendees commented on the food and also on how they hoped to attend next years’ lunch as they had enjoyed it so much – they all wanted to put a date into their diaries before they left.
One attendee said, “Thank you to all those who helped with our Christmas Lunch on 8th December. I arrived anxious but was immediately put at ease by the warm and informal welcome. During the current era, invitations and outings are all too rare, even for those with families. This event provided me with a memory to sustain well into the New Year – whatever that may bring”.
Studies have shown that loneliness is a major risk factor for depression, with increased symptoms in both middle-age and older adults. According to Age UK, more than 2 million people in England over the age of 75 live alone, and more than a million older people say they go for over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member. This can be down to a range of different reasons such as getting older or weaker, sometimes leaving the workplace or no longer being the family hub or losing a spouse or partner.
DBET will be looking to create more events such as our Christmas dinner to help bring to an end this terrible place which so many Elderly people in our communities find themselves.
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