IN her usual compassionate style Colette Douglas Home analyses the pitfalls of loneliness which daily confront a large section of Scotland's ever-ageing citizens ("Technology offers solution to loneliness among elderly", The Herald, April 22).
Due acknowledgement is paid to the large corps of professional carers whose visits are all too brief due to pressure on resources. Sadly, the missing ingredient following a whirlwind start to the pensioner's day is the absence of a visit by family or friends.
Perhaps this is the inevitable sequel to so many family break-ups over the immediate past decades. From experience I realise grandparents, aunts and so on are still an everyday cornerstone of the family unit, yet there seems to remain an alarming number of our aged excluded.
Whilst supporting your columnist's aim to provide additional stimulus I would place emphasis on personal visitation or even regular phone calls. Surely the presence or sound of a familiar voice outweighs the advantages of new communicative devices, however sophisticated.
Allan C Steele,
22 Forres Avenue, Giffnock.
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