‘Adopt a Grandparent’ strengthened in mission to combat loneliness amongst UK elderly with appointment of Irwin Mitchell as official legal sponsor

‘Adopt a Grandparent’ is being supported in its mission to tackle loneliness in UK care homes and beyond following the appointment of leading law firm Irwin Mitchell as its legal sponsor – who will support the charity in its 2023 plans to connect more than 100,000 people across social care and local communities.                                                            

The two are joining forces via a tailored package that will see Irwin Mitchell support the charity’s efforts to combat loneliness – having already donated £10,000 to enable the award-winning scheme to launch a digital app to facilitate, streamline and speed up its ‘adoption’ process. The legal firm will also include links from the Adopt a Grandparent website to the firm’s website, for those in need of additional support.

Founded in 2019, Adopt a Grandparent is an independent charity committed to reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation by pairing volunteers with the elderly community. By bringing people together, the charity aims to support people in developing meaningful and lasting relationships – with more than 90,000 people signed up across the globe.

Some of its existing volunteers include Hollywood stars such as Ruby Rose and Bitsie Tulloch, while the non-for-profit initiative has also been endorsed by The Duke of Edinburgh charity as part of its volunteering section.

The sponsorship comes off the back of the announcement of Andy Doherty joining Adopt a Grandparent as its new Director of Fundraising – as the charity sets out its 2023 plans to reach 100,000 sign-ups globally.

Shaleeza Hasham, the founder of Adopt a Grandparent, said: “When we started on this path in 2019, we wanted to take action to abolish loneliness among the old and young alike. We’ve been overwhelmed with support and are delighted to welcome Irwin Mitchell as our legal sponsor.

“Having already spoken on some of Irwin Mitchell’s podcasts, I know the firm understands what we are trying to achieve and with their support I’m sure we can continue to reduce loneliness and bring more people together in the year ahead.”

Over nine million people in the UK are impacted by loneliness each year, while 200,000 older people haven’t had a meaningful conversation in over a month. This ‘loneliness epidemic’ has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, cognitive decline, and dementia.

The initial focus of Adopt a Grandparent was to identify and connect willing virtual volunteers with lonely older people via video chat. Volunteers would apply to join the scheme, which would see them outline their hobbies, activities, and interests, before being manually vetted and paired with the perfect candidate – with both parties then benefiting from rewarding intergenerational relationships forged on life experience and similar interests.

What started as a small project in Surrey has grown to be a global phenomenon and as the charity’s legal sponsor, Irwin Mitchell will be using experience gained through its own later life programmes and campaigns to help the charity raise awareness of the impact of loneliness and support its broader aims of delivering better outcomes for the people they support.

Emma McCann, partner at Irwin Mitchell said: “The long winter period can leave many people feeling lonely or down so this is an important moment to be supporting Adopt a Grandparent, a charity committed to tackling loneliness.    

“The charity’s objectives tie in with many of our own campaigns and having worked with the charity’s founder, Shaleeza, on some of these in the past, we’re delighted to be able to join forces again, where we can work together to raise awareness of the impact of loneliness and offer practical help for those with specific needs.

“The winter season can be a challenge for older people who experience loneliness throughout the year, and many can be embarrassed to admit they are lonely. We’re looking forward to helping Adopt a Grandparent offer solutions and deliver a brighter 2023, where more people in our communities are included and no one has to feel left out.”

Those who wish to join Adopt a Grandparent and Irwin Mitchell’s mission to end loneliness in the UK can sign up as a volunteer by visiting the website or downloading the free app, which is available through Apple’s App Store and Google Play. They can also donate to the charity’s GoFundMe page.

For more information on Adopt a Grandparent please visit https://www.adoptagrandparent.org.uk/.

For more information on Irwin Mitchell, visit https://www.irwinmitchell.com.