With temperatures starting to plummet around the country and snow arriving in certain parts, it is timely to remind ourselves to keep an eye out for our elderly, whether they are friends, family or just members of our local community.

The NHS launched a campaign a few weeks ago which is all about this. They want to create what they have called an “army of good Samaritans” to check on older people to help prevent them ending up in hospital because they have been neglected.

Various celebrities, including actress Joanna Lumley, athlete Sally Gunnell and actor Sir Tony Robinson are supporting the appeal which encourages Britons to rediscover “an old-fashioned sense of neighbourliness”.

Among the things people are being asked to help with are clearing snow from driveways, giving pensioners a lift to see their GP and picking up prescriptions.

The Winter Friends campaign coincides with statistics showing that more than half of those aged over 75 live alone with a staggering five million saying that the TV set is their main form of company.

More worryingly, figures showed that the number of pensioners who died during the winter of 2012/13 was 29 per cent higher than in the previous year.

Dr Angie Bone, from Public Health England, says that colder weather, both inside and outside home, directly impacts on someone’s physiology.

She adds: “Blood vessels constrict, resulting in high blood pressure. As blood is diverted away from the skin to keep vital organs going, fluid is lost from the circulation and blood becomes thicker and more at risk of clotting.”

Flu is also a big killer among the elderly and spreads more easily as people spend more time inside.

And 30 per cent more deaths occur among dementia sufferers in winter because the condition causes a disturbance of the automatic nervous system which is responsible for regulating body temperature.

The PHE argues that, longer term, warmer housing and better insulation could prevent many deaths among the elderly in winter. It also urges elderly people to have a flu jab, keep indoor heating to 18-21C, eat regularly, wear warm clothes and ensure their shoes and boots have a good grip if they are venturing outside.

To find out more about the Winter Friends campaign, visit www.nhs.uk/winterfriends

A new study by the Royal Voluntary Service has discovered that two out of five elderly people do not enjoy eating alone.

They are particularly frustrated that the old tradition of sitting down as a family for a roast on Sunday has largely fallen by the wayside.

The charity, which surveyed more than 1,000 adults, says that the loneliness felt by the elderly was made worse by the lack of regular contact with loved ones.

Previous research by the RVS has shown that, for 10 per cent of older people, their nearest child lives more than 40 miles – or an hour or more – away, making regular contact extremely difficult.

With an ever ageing population, the issue of lack of contact for our elderly is only set to get worse.

And even for those children who do live closer to their parents, the increasing pressures of work and time restraints still make it difficult to keep in touch as much as they would like.

Our franchises and branches around the country are helping families to ensure that their relatives are given the best possible levels of care, support and, crucially, companionship as they enter their later years. This companionship often takes the form of preparing a meal for an elderly person and then being there with them while they eat it.

Even outside of meal times, one of the biggest requests we receive from our clients is to simply have someone to chat with.

We should remember that our elderly are precious and should be properly looked after and not seen as an inconvenience in society. We should be investing time not just talking to them, but listening and learning from their experiences in their lifetime.

The famous chef Albert Roux is right when he says that food is a fantastic way to bring people together to enjoy each other’s company and have a good time.

We should all make time, no matter how busy we are in our hectic lives, to ensure that we create the time for our loved ones, and particularly elderly members of our families.

Researchers claimed this week that a simple 15-minute test can help detect the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Experts believe that the written test could be used by doctors to catch and treat Alzheimer’s early.

The questions range from simple feats of memory to more complex everyday tasks. Other questions are more open-ended. Covered by the Daily Mail, take the test yourself.

In total, more than 1,000 people aged 50 plus were given the test by US researchers with the results showing that almost 30 per cent had cognitive impairment, a mild loss of mental function.

While the 15-minute test is something people can undertake themselves at home, Alzheimer’s Research UK stressed that anyone with concerns about possible loss of memory should consult their doctor at the earliest opportunity.

Simon Radley, from the charity, said:

Further research is needed to confirm whether the test would be suitable to assess and track changes in people’s memory and thinking skills.

It is important to note that the test is not designed to diagnose dementia, and people who are worried about their memory should seek advice from a doctor.

News of the 15-minute test, which gained widespread coverage in the media this week, follows a number of other significant developments in the fight against dementia.

At the end of last year, the first ever G8 Dementia Summit, hosted by our own Prime Minister David Cameron, was held in London.

Cameron has pledged to double funding for research into the disease to £66million in 2015, while pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has announced a £200million investment to create a “centre of excellence” that will turn breakthroughs in the laboratory into effective drugs to combat the condition.

Latest figures show a sharp rise in the number of people affected by dementia globally. A staggering 44 million people now have the condition and this figure is set to rise to 76 million by 2030.

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, already affects one in 14 people over the age of 65, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, and one in six over the age of 80.

Our experienced team of carers are working with many sufferers of Alzheimer’s across the UK, providing them and their families with the care and support they require to be able to continue to live as independently as possible.

Contact us today if you would like know more.