So many people just need to talk

MARY CREEDON was taken aback when she learned of the level of loneliness among older people in Ireland.

“When I first started, I was shocked. I thought ‘Oh, my God, I didn’t realise that there were so many lonely people out there.’ It is very sad,” says Ms Creedon, a co-ordinator and volunteer for Senior Help Line, the national confidential listening service for older people.

Last year, Senior Help Line received 10,000 calls, and it is predicted this figure will rise in 2012.