Christmas is a period that brings people together, but for some elderly people who may have gone through major life transition, the festive season can often exacerbate their loneliness. But in the Northern Territory, people are finding new and unique ways to connect, while spreading some Christmas joy.
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00:00It's the happiest time of year for some, the toughest for others.
00:07I do feel very alone and I'm not the only one. There's a lot of people like me and when you do get older it's the fact of life.
00:18Sue lives alone. Her husband is now in aged care and she has no children of her own.
00:24I welcome my friends to talk about their grandchildren. It's lovely hearing about them and seeing photos but you can't stop that little pain inside.
00:40But an unexpected friendship has blossomed as a result of a volunteer program that pairs young people with seniors.
00:47Amber and Sue have bonded over a love of music and it's brought them both some Christmas joy.
00:53My family is not in Australia and I'm alone here so sometimes especially in some ceremony I will feel really lonely.
01:02And the people like Sue and I feel like she is like my mum or my grandma.
01:10Loneliness is a silent epidemic. It's on the rise and can be worse during the festive season.
01:17When there's a big focus on social gatherings and family gatherings, for those people who aren't surrounded by family and friends it can be a particularly acute time to feel lonely.
01:27But there are some going the extra mile to make sure no one feels alone this Christmas.
01:32A project that started eight years ago in Victoria's Kitchen has now become a full scale operation, arranging gifts for every person in aged care across the Northern Territory.
01:43While we think of it often being about children and about providing for our immediate family, I think there's a broader demographic in the Northern Territory and across Australia who are really quite isolated and could use just a little bit of joy.
01:57Over 2,000 gifts are slayed out, making sure everyone has something to open on Christmas morning.
02:05Every year I'm blown away by how far people will go and how far into their pocket they'll dig just to provide a gift for someone they've never met and will never meet.
02:14Kindness. The greatest gift of all this Christmas.