COPE@XMAS, a national charity launched in Abbeyfield, has worked to ensure that many older people will have some company this Christmas. Abbeyfield residents, along with any older persons throughout the UK, are invited to join a free Christmas lunch and overnight stay at Abbeyfield houses that are part of the initiative.

The initiative was started in response to an increasing trend of older people who spend Christmas isolated from family and friends. This is a concern, as the number of older people in society is increasing.

Companionship Of People that are Elderly at Xmas (COPE@XMAS) was therefore launched to combat the increasing loneliness experienced by older people over a season that is focused on family and joy.

Older people who live alone or isolated from their families are therefore invited to become part of an initiative in which they could potentially make friends for life.

Elderly people who live alone, and family members in need of respite support, are invited to contact Abbeyfield, which offers over 610 free overnight stays and 790 free Christmas lunches from 24 December to 4 January.

At present, one in three people over 60 can go a whole week without speaking to anyone, while one in ten people spend up to a month without any human contact.