Hosted by Health for All in partnership with Happy Chinese Families, Chinese elders came together to share a meal and stayed on for social activities, games and exercise, supported by a team of bilingual volunteers from the Chinese Community.
National statistics show 25% of Chinese elders identify as lonely. This is the highest of all ethnic groups. This is as a result of multiple issues, not the least being a dispersed settlement pattern.
However, these issues can be tackled successfully by focusing on solving problems. For example, the dispersed settlement meant people found it hard to make friends, but it also meant that Chinese elders were much happier than some BAME groups to use public transport once they had learned routes, in order to get out and socialise.
Once the group had come together and gained in confidence they were also happy to socialise with other older people’s groups.