Research shows that loneliness and social isolation kill a comparable number of older people to smoking or heart disease. This article explores some of the causes in an urban environment and some of the challenges and solutions. It is not meant to be an exhaustive review of research or good practice but to help with the debate in an era of public sector cuts. In all areas, urban or rural, Council and some community services are reduced, further away and increasingly online. Digital exclusion adds to isolation, and families are dispersed as older people’s children and grandchildren seek work, love […]