Loneliness can have a substantial effect on a person’s health and wellbeing. In this episode we chat to Neil McCarthy from not-for-profit organisation Octavia and Gill Roberts about schemes that help people who are lonely. Val talks about her personal experiences living in an Octavia extra care scheme. Kate Terroni, Oxfordshire Council’s Adult Social Care Director talks about how amazon echos can reduce social isolation and we hear from Alive Activities about older people in care. Read the NICE guidance 'Older people: independence and mental wellbeing' here: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng32