Loneliness

What does loneliness mean to you?

Perhaps it’s the quiet house when a loved one travels away for work. The empty side of the bed, the silence at dinner, the absence of a familiar voice at the end of the day.

Perhaps it’s the moment you drop your child off for school camp or your partner to the airport. You know they will be home in a few days, but the house suddenly feels a little too tidy, a little too quiet. You find yourself wondering what they are doing, missing the ordinary noise of everyday life.

For many of us, loneliness is temporary. It comes and goes. It has a clear beginning and a predictable end. Eventually the loved one returns home, the school bus pulls back into the driveway, the laughter and conversation resume.

But for some people, loneliness is different.

For some, loneliness does not have an obvious end point. It lingers quietly in the background of everyday life. Days pass without meaningful conversation. Weeks pass without someone asking how they are doing. Over time, the silence becomes familiar.

Loneliness can be invisible. It doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Often it sits quietly in the background of a person’s life.

At St John’s Care, we meet people living with this kind of loneliness more often than many might imagine. Unlike most physical ailments, or an empty stomach, loneliness is not something that has an obvious fix. Instead, addressing loneliness and softening the silence of isolation often begins with a friendly greeting, shared cup of tea or a biscuit, or a friendly and genuine conversation

For these reasons, St John’s Care places a strong emphasis on creating opportunities for people to come together, fostering a sense of community, belonging, and connectedness. Our monthly Community Lunch invites members to share a warm meal, conversation and companionship. What may appear as an opportunity to share a warm meal often becomes a space where friendships form, stories are shared, and people are reminded that they are not alone.

The reintroduction of our monthly Morning Tea (third Friday of each month) offers another opportunity for people to connect and gather over food and conversation. Thanks to the ongoing generosity of Silo Bakery, who continue to donate delicious pastries, and the addition of a coffee van serving fresh coffee, we aim to provide more community events for our community to look forward to, because sometimes, it is these small moments of connection that can make all the difference.

Robbie Speldewinde
Operations Manager