Experiment will highlight dangers of isolation

FOR a week he’ll be in solitary confinement as a prisoner in his own home.

Yuri Deary, from Consett, County Durham, will be house-bound to highlight loneliness in a new social experiment.

The 22-year-old student’s terrace will become his desert island as all contact with the outside world is severed.

UK charity Friends of the Elderly launches its “Isolation Week” campaign tomorrow.

And Yuri will be entirely on his own for the duration of the experiment, while psychologists analyse his behaviour.

“It’s quite daunting,” he said. “A week doesn’t sound very long but I’ve never been on my own for more than a couple of days.

“It’ll be interesting to see how I’m feeling after day four and how I cope. I’m a very social person but also independent so I hope to be ok.

“I’ve told my friends and family what’s happening so they don’t worry when I disappear for a week, or report me as a missing person!”

Yuri was selected from hundreds of people across the North East to take part in a campaign to improve social inclusion among old folk.

Keep up to date with the news. Sign up for News Alerts

Have your say on the latest news and sport in our Forums

Find your new job:

Job Title

e.g. secretary

Industry

Location

Get involved...