Arguably one of the most influential changemakers in the UK joins us on the show this week, founder of The Silver Line Helpline and Childline; Dame Esther Rantzen.

On this week's episode, we're talking about loneliness and how it's a growing issue within our society, the invaluable work The Silver Line Helpline does, how a cat from over the road has adopted Esther, and how important it is to have fun and continue to well into your old age.

Last week on the show we were joined by Alasdair Stewart, Director of National Operations, and as part of his role, he manages The Silver Line Helpline which is a free, confidential telephone service just for older people and provides friendship, conversation and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We were interested in finding out more about The Silver Line Helpline, and how it continues to provide an invaluable service to tackle and prevent loneliness among our elderly population. 

The trouble with loneliness is that it's often unspoken about because of the stigma attached to it, however, it is chronic within the elderly. A review carried out by The National Institute for Health and Care Research found that "one in four adults over 60 reports feeling lonely" and "for those aged more than 75, the figure is almost one in three (31%)"

So who better to tell us more about The Silver Line Helpline, and how it's tackling loneliness than the founder herself, Dame Esther Rantzen.

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