It comes as local charity Age NI is highlighting the stark reality of the loneliness and isolation many older people across Northern Ireland face, particularly at Christmas<\/a>. They have shared an emotional video featuring members of their day centre in Belfast, to highlight the positive impact the centres make to the many older people who attend each week.<\/p>\n Roberta, who features in the video, found herself alone after her husband\u2019s Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis, which meant he had to move into a care home.<\/p>\n READ MORE: WATCH: Co Tyrone school rivals John Lewis with heartfelt Christmas video release<\/a>READ MORE: Meet Belfast\u2019s very own ‘Mr Christmas’ spreading festive cheer at M&S<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking about the difference Age NI has made to her life, Roberta said: “Before coming to Age NI, my world had grown painfully small. My husband\u2019s Alzheimer\u2019s<\/a> meant I was a full-time carer, housebound and feeling heartbreakingly alone.<\/p>\n “My two sons live far away, and days would pass without speaking to another soul. My social worker referred me to Age NI\u2019s Day Centre, and everything changed.<\/p>\n “I met Ellen, and we instantly clicked. The centre has become a place where I\u2019ve found friendship, hope, and joy.”<\/p>\n Research recently commissioned by Age NI\u2019s corporate partner, Lidl<\/a> Northern Ireland, revealed the extent of the loneliness crisis facing older people across Northern Ireland. Two-thirds said they often feel invisible or overlooked, with 1 in 4 saying they often or sometimes go a day or more without speaking to anyone.<\/p>\n Rosalind Cole, Fundraising Manager for Age NI, said: “Christmas can be a particularly tough time for many older people. Loneliness and social isolation can leave some feeling cut off and forgotten, many going days without a conversation or any connection with the outside world.<\/p>\n “Age NI believes every older person should be valued and supported. Through our essential services and local support, we\u2019re making a huge difference every day.<\/p>\n “If you are thinking of making a donation this Christmas, we would love you to consider Age NI. Every single penny counts and every single penny will help support an older person who may otherwise feel lonely, invisible and overlooked.”<\/p>\n From 2 December until 9 December, online donations made to Age NI will be doubled at no extra cost to you, meaning you\u2019ll make double the difference to older people we support across Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n To donate, visit www.ageni.org\/christmas25,<\/a> and for further information about Age NI services, visit www.ageni.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage <\/strong>here<\/a> and sign up to our daily newsletter<\/a> here.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A local charity is highlighting the loneliness many older people feel, particularly at ChristmasContent cannot be displayed without…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[35745,425,1144,455,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-618683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-christmas","9":"tag-dementia","10":"tag-northern-ireland","11":"tag-real-life","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115680337417172131","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Ellen](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Xmas-25.png\")
Ellen and Roberta pictured at the Age NI day centre in Skainos, Belfast. <\/p>\n