#21 A conversation about loneliness amid loss with Alex Smith, founder and CEO of The Cares Family

Have you felt lonely during 2020, or even before that? I know I have.

While loneliness can subjectively come and go like sadness and happiness, there are people who live with loneliness much more chronically, and for whom it's a form of marginalization. Over the last year, we have seen more people withdraw from wider society, and loneliness has become a personal crisis for people who experience it.

My podcast guest this week is Alex Smith, founder and CEO of The Cares Family, a group of charities, bringing people together to reduce loneliness and build connection across divides. In 2018, Alex was appointed one of 20 inaugural global Obama fellows selected from 21,000 applicants from around the world. He contributed to the development of the world's first ever loneliness strategy, which was launched by the former prime minister at the Cares Family event.

Loneliness, like grief, can make people feel invisible, and we talk about the importance of being a neighbour, sharing our stories, nurturing our own sense of community in relationships, that helps us to foster a sense of connection and belonging, all of which help us cope with, and accommodate the pain of loss.

You will hear the story of Fred, the 84 year old man who inspired Alex to start The Cares Family, and how their intergenerational relationship brought them both out of isolation.

This conversation was inspiring, and enriching, full of depth and humour.

Connect with Alex Smith
 
https://www.thecaresfamily.org.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexsmith1982
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexsmith1982/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-smith-60a7a133/


Connect with Amanda

If you are supporting a bereaved child, or know someone who is, you can purchase my book Helping Children Cope with Loss and Change.

www.amandaseyderhelm.com

https://twitter.com/TheKidDecoder