Change somebody’s day

2020 has been a tough year. We’ve realised how important it is to be able to see our loved ones, keep in touch and speak about how we feel. In our lifetime the world has never had this time to pause and reflect.

At 9, our CEO, James Palmer, took the time to consider how loneliness is an everyday occurrence for many older people. So, he decided to contact Age UK, a charity established to campaign, care for and celebrate the older generation.

The harsh realities:

Almost 4.5 million older people claim to have felt lonely during later life

225,000 older people go for a week without speaking to anyone

6 million older people say a few minutes of conversation makes a difference to their week

More than 0.5 million who have been lonely say it stops them going out

We’re in the business of communicating, and we know how a 30-minute conversation can really change our day. James Palmer has been the first to sign up to Age UK’s Check in and Chat campaign, where you dedicate 30-minute phone calls to speak to an elderly person to offer comfort and relief from loneliness.

Within 9 we’re running a ‘Change somebody’s day’ campaign with Age UK. There’s lots of ways you can spend 30 minutes of your day, but it’s unlikely that most of them will change somebody’s day. So, we’re asking our colleagues to get involved where they can to speak to the elderly and change somebody’s day.

We’ll keep you updated with our campaign, so watch this space!