Some of the reasons why older people may be lonely include:
•The illness and deaths of older people close to them, including their partner, friends and family
•Other reasons for rarely seeing their partner, friends and family, such as divorce or living far away
•Retiring and leaving a busy workplace
•Health problems, for example associated with reduced mobility, cognition or sensory impairment, or problems that require extensive community-based care
•Habitat characteristics, such as neighborhood, home accessibility and local services provision
•The rise of digital communications (e.g. social media) leading to fewer face-to-face interactions between people
•Not wanting to speak to anyone about being lonely.