Trevor felt ‘invisible’ after his wife died – now experts are trying new ways to tackle Australia’s loneliness epidemic

Trevor Gough, 85, says he has experienced bouts of loneliness since his wife of 54 years died. Men are 1.5 times more likely to experience chronic loneliness than women. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

Trevor Gough is as socially active as they come. At 85, he volunteers regularly at Meals on Wheels, cycles upwards of 10km a few times a week, often catches up with friends for coffee and sees his two children.

But he lives alone, and is not immune to bouts of loneliness. Gough’s wife, to whom he was married for 54 years, died seven years ago. “It was a big blow … [We had] known one another for 60 years,” he says. “You come back to an empty house.”