Fighting loneliness - A human solution to a human loss

THERE are few conditions that eat at the human heart and mind like loneliness.

Few gnaw at the sense of purpose, ambition and self worth that shape our humanity like isolation and the absence of the sounds, society and support of family, friends or neighbours.

There are, or will be, few things as challenging as facing tomorrow without the comradeship and reliability of a life-long partner who has died, yet half of us will probably have to face life after the death of a loved spouse or partner. That is how life and death inevitably unfold. Life’s natural cycle, especially towards its end, brings more than enough challenges and the prospect of isolation, whether you live in the countryside or in a town or a city, is daunting.