Increase in elderly experiencing ‘age apartheid’

A GROWING number of elderly people are experiencing urban isolation and a form of age apartheid, social campaigners have warned.

For the first time, the St Vincent de Paul has formed a team of volunteers to tackle loneliness being experienced by older people in their own homes.

The initiative began in Cork two months ago, when the SVP set up a dedicated team for the sole purpose of calling to vulnerable older people.