Social worker Pam Stopforth finds out what it is to be lonely and isolated for a week
Liverpool-based social worker Pam Stopforth is one of 11 people experiencing social isolation as if she were an isolated older person in a social experiment called Isolation Week.
Organised by the charity Friends of the Elderly, the event takes place from today (Monday) through to Sunday with the aim of raising awareness of the effects of social isolation.
During this time Pam will be confined to her home without any human contact, with only her television for company and will have to use special equipment such as gloves and vision-impairing glasses to experience the effects of aging.
We will be following Pam’s experiences through a daily diary and video blog and through a one-way Twitter account - @pam_iweek
More on Isolation Week and Interview with Pam Stopforth
What do you think of Isolation Week? Get involved in the discussion on CareSpace
HOW PAM WILL EXPERIENCE ISOLATION
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Wear special gloves during which time she has to change her clothes, open a jar and try to eat with a knife and fork |
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Wear vision-impaired glasses and have on an MP3 player playing background white noise while watching a television programme |
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Put popcorn kernels in her socks and walk around with these socks and shoes on for 10 minutes to simulate arthritis. |
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Wear leg weights while carrying on with day-to-day activities such as housework. |
Pic of popcorn by superiphi
Pic of weight by Diamond Rubber Products
"I can’t quite put in to words yet the depth of emotions I have experienced this week, but one thing is for sure – this experience will stay with me forever."
"This experience is like being on a real emotional rollercoaster, one minute I’m perfectly fine and focussed and the next minute my eyes are filling up and I feel really anxious."
"How many ways can you say you feel emotional and weary??"
"I experienced lots of emotions yesterday which have continued today: anger, frustration, sadness and the feeling of being abandoned."
"I’m emotional and really want to give up on this task – but we can’t just remove our feet when they are hurting can we?"
“ The only way I could make out the writing was to hold the bottle really close to my eyes…” Pam reports on her second day of isolation.
“How odd it is not to have to be anywhere, speak to anyone or juggle my time…” Pam reports on her first day of isolation.