I AM not sure how many people have watched the excellent Channel 4 documentary about children in old peoples’ home.

This was based on an experiment carried out successfully in America, where nurseries for young children are built near old peoples homes and they are allowed to mix and interact with the older residents.

This has had a very positive and life-enhancing effect on the older people and the children loved it too.

It is said that nearly a million old people who live on their own often don’t speak to anyone for days and sometimes for weeks. 

It is also established that loneliness and isolation causes early deaths and leads to other avoidable diseases.

Would it not be nice if Somerset County Council took this on board and facilitated such an interaction? 

Now that we have a “well being” area in our local library ,maybe we could organise days when senior citizens could be encouraged to drop in and interact with young ones? 

I am sure some activities could be organised in the school holidays. 

We do have a large population of retired people who, I am sure would love to have days organised for them at the library so more use can be made of the wellbeing area. 

I wrote of this problem some three years ago, after reading an article in The Times about this problem and how, in London, this is being targeted by introducing young people to their elderly neighbours. 

They organise activities and it is known as ‘North London Cares’, and since then they have started ‘South London Cares’. 

Maybe the council could look at that model and do something similar?

SABINA AHMED
College way
Taunton