It is a source of "national shame" that as many as 800,000 people in England are "chronically lonely", Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to say.
In a speech later, Mr Hunt plans to highlight the "problem of loneliness that in our busy lives we have utterly failed to confront as a society".
"Some five million people say television is their main form of company," he will say.
Labour accused of him trying to blame families for government failures.
According to pre-released extracts of his speech, to be delivered at the National Children and Adults Services (NCAS) conference later, he will say: "Each and every lonely person has someone who could visit them and offer companionship.
"A forgotten million who live amongst us - ignored to our national shame."
'Reverence and respect'He is expected to say: "According to the Campaign to End Loneliness, there are 800,000 people in England who are chronically lonely."
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He will also tell delegates that the 112,000 cases of alleged abuse in care homes referred by English councils in 2012-13, the majority involving over-65s, indicate that "something is badly wrong".
But the regulation of care in both the private and public sector is improving, he will argue.
The Conservative MP will say that the new chief inspector of social care, Andrea Sutcliffe, will start to give ratings to care homes from April 2014, with a view to organising inspections of all 25,000 care homes by 2016.
Mr Hunt believes we should learn from Asian cultures, where there is "reverence and respect for older people" and "residential care is a last rather than a first option".
"The social contract is stronger because as children see how their own grandparents are looked after, they develop higher expectations of how they too will be treated when they get old," he will explain.
End Quote Liz Kendall Shadow social care ministerJeremy Hunt and David Cameron need to take responsibility for their government's actions rather than trying to turn the clock back and say it's down to families alone"
"If we are to tackle the challenge of an ageing society, we must learn from this - and restore and reinvigorate the social contract between generations.
"And uncomfortable though it is to say it, it will only start with changes in the way we personally treat our own parents and grandparents."
England should aim to become "the best place in the world to grow old in", he will conclude.
'Unaware'But Labour said the "real national shame" was "Jeremy Hunt's attempt to shift the blame for dealing with the very real problems of loneliness amongst elderly people onto families alone".
Shadow health and social care minister Liz Kendall said: "He seems completely unaware that there are over six million unpaid family carers in Britain today, one in five of whom provide more than 50 hours care a week for their loved ones.
"These unsung heroes save the taxpayer billions of pounds yet often get precious little support in return.
"Families, friends and neighbours need a decent care system to back up their efforts to look after elderly people, but the reality is our care system is in crisis and has been pushed to the brink of collapse.
"Jeremy Hunt and David Cameron need to take responsibly for their government's actions rather than trying to turn the clock back and say it's down to families alone."
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