Elderly people living alone ‘could be at greater risk of cancer’

ELDERLY people living alone could be at a greater risk of cancer because of their lifestyle, a new report suggests.

Ireland’s first cancer map, published yesterday by the Irish Cancer Registry, found the risk of almost all cancers analysed was higher in areas with the greatest proportion of elderly people living on their own.

British studies have shown that elderly people living alone have a lower quality of life, which includes poorer diet, less physical activity and more hazardous alcohol use and are also more likely to be smokers.