BRITAIN: Lonely Future for Scots As One-Person 'Families' Soar

EDINBURGH (The Scotsman), June 1, 2006 More than one million Scots are expected to live on their own within two decades, according to the latest statistics. As the country's population ages, experts fear many people will face an increasingly lonely old age. Single person households will account for four out of every ten Scottish homes by 2024 - compared with 770,000 in 2004. The number of people aged over 60 living on their own will make up much of the overwhelming increase. Officials at the General Register Office for Scotland expect the average household size across the country to be fewer than two people within 20 years. In 2004, the average size was 2.22 people, but new predictions suggest it will be reduced to 1.97 by 2024. The average household in 1961 included 3.11 people. Population experts say the change is due largely to the fact that people are living longer and staying in their own homes into their old age. Many people are also marrying later or choosing to stay single. Professor Alan Findlay, from the Centre for Applied Population Research at the University of Dundee, said that older people faced greater isolation because local communities were no longer as tight-knit as they used to be. He said: "Society undoubtedly faces a challenge as it adapts to more people living on their own in the latter part of their life. At a time when society is more individualistic at all ages, that does mean people are not as bound into a community. "Older people do not necessarily know their neighbours or the younger members of their communities due to the high level of mobility that exists. That is an issue and a problem society as a whole faces." Help the Aged in Scotland warned that some single pensioners who live on their own faced depression and neglect. A spokesman for the charity said: "We need to start making provisions now. Older people on their own may not be able to look after themselves and they may get depressed. "Older people make up the majority of carers now, but who is going to care for them?" Duncan Macniven, the registrar-general for Scotland, said: "Within the next 20 years the average household will contain two people or fewer. This is because average household size has been getting smaller for some time - people are increasingly choosing to live alone. "The greatest increase is in households headed by people aged 60 or over, with the number of households with someone aged 85 or over projected to more than double." The growing number of people living alone means the number of households in Scotland is projected to increase by 13 per cent - a rate of 14,800 additional households per year. By 2024, there will be 2.5 million households in Scotland. Mike Keenan, head of residential property at Anderson Strathern in Edinburgh, said: "There may well be a shortage of housing, but we also expect a knock-on effect and demand for sheltered and residential housing for the over 60s, offering some sort of community service and warden, to increase." By Laura Roberts © 2006 Scotsman.com