LONELINESS COUNTER
75
What we're counting
FromBeyond.co exists to connect generations through the stories that make us who we are, our mission is to ensure no one grows old unheard and no one grows up disconnected.
20.9%
of 13 to 17 year olds report loneliness. Young people are the loneliest.
(WHO, 2025)
Up to 1 in 3
older adults are socially isolated
(WHO, 2025)
871,000+
deaths every year are linked to loneliness
(WHO, 2025)
The young feel most alone. The old are most cut off. The stories that could connect them are being lost.
"Just ask someone older one question this week, and really listen to the answer."
Inspiration for your questions
Research keeps showing that people my age are some of the loneliest in the world. Honestly, that doesn't surprise me.
Older people are feeling it too. They've lived through so much and have the best stories, but most of the time no one asks to hear them.
It feels a bit crazy that the two groups struggling the most are the ones who could help each other the most. Whenever I sit down with someone older and really listen, I come away feeling happy. And they light up because someone cared enough to ask.
That's why this matters so much to me. You don't need a big plan. Just ask someone older one question this week, and really listen to the answer. It might mean more to both of you than you expect.
Alice
Research suggests intergenerational connection can reduce loneliness and exclusion for both older and younger people, while building mutual understanding.
Research suggests that sharing life stories and memories can reduce loneliness in older adults. When someone asks about your life and truly listens, you feel seen.
Recording a life story is exactly that: being asked, being heard and being remembered. Every story shared helps combat loneliness, and FromBeyond.co puts that moment into every family's hands.
Connection starts early. Our schools programme helps young people stay connected to who they are, to their families, and to the generations who came before them.
Students record a message for the person they'll become: encouragement for the hard days, and a reminder of how far they've come.
New school starters record a message for their parents to keep and watch again as their child grows.
On Grandparents and Special Friends Day, students sit with a grandparent or older friend, ask about their life and record the answers. Two generations, one story.
Loneliness is common in aged care. These ideas help carers make sure residents are asked, heard and remembered, by staff, by young visitors and by family far away.
Residents tell the stories of their lives in their own words, at their own pace, for family near and far to watch and keep.
Carers help residents record their life story, starting with one good question. Nex asks gently and turns their answers into a script.
Students and young volunteers sit with residents and ask about their lives. Both generations feel less alone, and every story is kept.
Every number on the Loneliness Counter is a moment of connection. Each one represents people coming together to record a story, with their own family or with a Grand Friend.
A grandchild asking about first jobs and first loves. A young volunteer sitting with someone who hasn't been asked about their life in years. A family gathering to hear a voice they want to keep forever.
Every story recorded means someone was asked, someone was heard, and two generations spent time together.
We'll keep counting until no one grows old unheard.
Connection starts small. This week, ask someone older one question about their life, then really listen.
