Jeremy* is a regular at the Marion Cultural Centre, often coming to play the community piano and take his mind off his troubles – presumed to include homelessness or unstable housing. At times, his behaviour has been seen as a problem, with police sometimes called to remove him.

Then volunteers from the Loneliness Warriors program started to visit the Centre regularly.

Community Centres SA (CCSA), supported by Office for Ageing Well, established the Loneliness Warriors pilot program to bring volunteers with conversational skills and knowledge of local facilities and services to the community to increase connectedness.

Loneliness Warriors volunteers struck up conversations with Jeremy from their first visit. They talked to him every time they were at the Centre. Their conversations were casual but as Jeremy and the Loneliness Warriors connected, conversations became more in-depth lasting 30 – 45 minutes. The discussions were often punctuated with piano playing and comparing favourite pianists. The Loneliness Warriors listened deeply and gave Jeremy space to share his load with them. In these conversations, he described missing his children and seemed at a loss.

Weeks went by and the Loneliness Warriors and others at the Centre, noticed Jeremy was more composed and had ‘cleaned himself up’. It’s hard to attribute this change solely to the Loneliness Warriors, however, they certainly had a very positive effect and Jeremy enjoyed the conversations. Perhaps, feeling heard and less lonely.

Loneliness is insidious. Mother Theresa said, “Of all the diseases I have known, loneliness is the worst.” It presents a greater risk of premature death than smoking, alcohol, and obesity and increases recovery time from illness and disease. Right now, at least 1 in 4 Australians is lonely.

People are, by nature, social creatures. Feeling connected to another human is as important as air and water. In fact, being socially connected can lead to a 50 per cent reduction of risk of dying.

To promote social connection, Loneliness Warriors volunteers were trained, then based in and around the Marion Cultural Centre Plaza. They aimed to connect with and support community members who may be feeling isolated.

The Loneliness Warriors moved around the area, reaching out to people who appeared lonely and engaging with those who approached them. Local services and businesses were encouraged to refer people. Conversations ranged from a simple informal chat and general guidance to something more focused, linking people into services and community supports.

The Loneliness Warriors pilot project ran from May 2021 – May 2022. Once evaluated, CCSA is hopeful it can become a more permanent way to address loneliness and support people to reconnect with their community.

For more information about the Loneliness Warriors pilot, contact Oliver Carlton, Community Connector, CCSA at ocarlton@communitycentressa.asn.au.

*Please note, the name of the person referred to in this article has been changed to protect their privacy.