COVID-19 and the loneliness epidemic

As we settle in for a winter of COVID-19 disruption, with millions of people already in lockdown and unable to mix with other households, my thoughts have turned to the issue of loneliness. This is a particular issue for some older people, although, of course, loneliness doesn't discriminate and plenty of younger people will be affected by the changes caused by COVID-19 too.

New research from Age UK (2020) has found that while some older people are coping well with the pandemic, a ‘sizable minority are finding life incredibly tough’. The research shows that levels of anxiety have increased for older people – with fear of catching the virus playing a big part in this, particularly if they have an underlying health condition. Not only are many people afraid to leave the house in case they catch the virus but they also cannot face a winter of loneliness either. Age UK found that 45% of people aged 70 years or over say that they are either uncomfortable or very uncomfortable leaving their house because of the coronavirus pandemic.