Loneliness is one of the biggest fears for older people today. But this is nothing new. One inspirational man who recognised how loneliness affected the older generation back in the 1950s was Richard Carr-Gomm who resigned his commission in the Coldstream Guards to became an unpaid home help and learned about loneliness among the old and vulnerable.

He was determined to help them overcome their social isolation and used his £250 Army gratuity to buy a house in Bermondsey where he installed four old people, installing himself as housekeeper, and managing the house with the help of volunteers. His work soon became well known and he later bought more properties as demand rapidly escalated. In the space of two years, Richard opened six houses in Bermondsey, housing 26 older people. That was the founding of Abbeyfield, a leading UK provider of care homes, named after their second home in Abbeyfield Road, London.

Today Abbeyfield has over 700 houses across the UK, 80 care homes and two nursing homes helping people live independent lives, benefiting from close links with volunteers and local communities. It also has homes in 16 countries around the world – all guided by the original principles and helping many thousands of older people. Richard has quite rightly been bestowed with many honours in recognition of his sefless social reform work.

Now, 54 years after its founding, Abbeyfield is planning ahead to meet the future needs of our elderly population who have higher expectations as living standards have risen. It conducted research to help guide its future strategy and £140 million development and refurbishment programme. It’s quite transformational.

The strategy launch is being held tomorrow in the House of Lords. It is kindly being hosted by Baroness Neuberger and includes two very influential speakers, Stephen Dorrell, Chair of the Parliamentary Health Select Committee, and Baroness Greengross, an active campaigner for older people and Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre. I am thrilled to also learn that Paul Burstow is also attending, the Minister for Social Care. I’ve been assisting PR agency Golley Slater as a political adviser for the launch and have been delighted to work on this brief because I passionately believe that our increasing elderly population deserves the very best opportunities for care and companionship to combat loneliness and that a stimulating environment is vital for prolonging the well being of residents in care homes.

As Abbeyfield CEO Paul Allen says: “Abbeyfield have been implementing what we now know as The Big Society for many years already.”