A report has warned that up to 40,000 elderly people living in residential care are at risk of social isolation.

The warning came from the Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) after a two-year government-funded research study which found that at least eight per cent of older people in care don't have any friends or family, or don't have contact with them.

"We're saddened and shocked at these revelations," said R&RA chair Judy Downey. "It's unacceptable to find that so many older people are leading such lonely lives."

According to Community Care, R&RA wants local authorities and those in social care jobs to take responsibility for all vulnerable older people regardless of how care is funded. They also want the Care Quality Commission to ensure that councils and care homes have strategies in place to prevent social isolation, and to inspect for the potential isolation of the elderly.

Ms Downey added: "We all know that it's the people who surround us that are important: a phone call, a visit filled with laughter, a chance to chat about the things that matter. It's utterly tragic to think of older people in care without any of these things in their lives."

The report also revealed that the one-third of elderly who fund their own care often don't play a part in a local authority's considerations.