halt the loneliness epidemic – James Batchelor, CEO of Alertacall, key speaker at Smiley Talk

Inventor and technologist James Batchelor has devoted his career to finding ways to help people to live productive, independent lives in their own communities for as long as possible. Now he will join other leading voices in the field – including that of Dame Esther Rantzen – at a special Smiley Talk designed to shine a light on the topic this month.

James, CEO of Alertacall, the leading technology firm which promotes maintaining contact with individuals, explains:

“Finding ways to end loneliness and isolation within our communities is everyone’s business. This is something that affects so many people, it simply doesn’t discriminate. Yet there are steps we can all take as individuals to reduce its impact and its spread, things we can do collectively to bring us closer to driving loneliness out. This event is about bringing people and ideas together to talk about the changes that can be achieved to combat this huge issue.”

The evening – to be held in London’s Torrens Street on Wednesday, September 25 – is being hosted by The Smiley Movement which organises free, live events crafted to tackle social and environmental issues linked to UN Sustainable Development Goals 2020.

It will be opened by Dame Esther, campaigner and founder of the groundbreaking charity The Silver Line which bids to ensure older people have someone to talk to 24 hours a day.

Following this, a panel discussion will take place featuring experts from organisations that are helping to find solutions to the issue of loneliness including Alertacall, The Silver Line, Childline and The Samaritans.

They will highlight positive stories of how people’s lives can be transformed with the right support.

It will be moderated by broadcaster and journalist Jane Little.

Everyone attending will be able to contribute and also take home ideas and tips on how to open and hold conversations about the often difficult topic of isolation with those affected.

As well as raising awareness of the impact of loneliness and isolation on people’s lives, the event will share positive stories of how with the right support people turned their lives around, tips on how to have difficult conversations about loneliness and hear from the experts working hard to eradicate loneliness in the UK.

James adds:

“Loneliness is something that most of us will experience at some point in our lives. Left untackled, it can have serious consequences on both mental and physical health. But there are lots of things we can do. Technology has an important role to play in helping to reduce social isolation and will enable people to be better connected. Equally, some of that very same technology, if not used correctly, could actually exacerbate the issue by reducing human contact and increasing loneliness. As a society, we need to talk about it more to find a collaborative approach to what is certainly one of the most important issues in society today – and bringing people together is a positive step in this direction.”

Join us at this Smiley Movement event to talk about how we can defeat this epidemic. You can register for free the Smiley Movement website, simply click here.

For more information on Alertacall’s services are helping organisations to reduce loneliness and social isolation for their service users, contact Fiona Hasson, Partnerships Manager, by calling 0808 208 1234 or by email to contact@alertacall.com