Social Isolation and Loneliness

Part of Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at 12:53 pm on 7 November 2024.

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Photo of Emma Harper Emma Harper Scottish National Party 12:53, 7 November 2024

I understand what the minister is saying about mental health. Loneliness affects about one in eight people over the age of 65, and Dumfries and Galloway has one of the highest proportions of older people in Scotland, with about 33,000 people within that age bracket, which means that we have about 4,000 older people in the region who are struggling with the negative feelings that result from feeling lonely. Added to that in Dumfries and Galloway is the issue of rurality. Can the minister comment on whether its “A Connected Scotland” policy is likely to be updated with a specific focus on rurality?