Loneliness is related to poor health in later life. One way in which loneliness is often addressed is
via befriending services, such as those offered by ALONE. The mission statement of ALONE’s befriending
service is to reduce the impact of loneliness on poor health. ALONE have identified a need for an empirical
evaluation of the potential benefits of befriending services.
Aims: The proposed research aims to create empirical evidence regarding the impact of befriending services on
health and loneliness, assisting ALONE in developing and refining their mission statement. The research
question is: “Do befriending services improve health (measured as health-related quality of life and cognitive
function), and do they mitigate the impact of loneliness on health?” A secondary aim is to identify, using
exploratory methods, potential mechanisms through which befriending impacts health.
