Lockdown can cause many people to feel distant and isolated from loved ones, but there is concern that the elderly may be impacted by this even more than the general population.
Feelings of loneliness are often brought on by significant changes in peoples lives, and coronavirus has meant that for many of us, our day to day lives have been altered drastically.
According to Age UK, there are 1.4 million chronically lonely older people in England. As older people are encouraged to self isolate to lower their risk of contracting covid-19, many are at risk of increased feelings of loneliness.
“My lovely sister passed away and I couldn’t get to see her, there was only six of us at the funeral, all keeping our distances and not being able to hug each other, it was totally weird.
Ellen Franklin, aged 70, from Kidderminster says that she felt “fearful” when she first began socially isolating, and has faced her own set of challenges which have made lockdown especially difficult.
“My lovely sister passed away and I couldn’t get to see her, there was only six of us at the funeral, all keeping our distances and not being able to hug each other, it was totally weird.
“The worst thing is not having family around. I miss not being able to see my youngest granddaughter. I’ve seen her almost every day since she was born, but you can’t explain to a two-year-old that she can’t just run up to Nana and hug her.”
Rob Hewings, the Director of Campaigns, Policy and Research for the Campaign to End Loneliness, issued a statement as the government asked the elderly to shield themselves and self-isolate.
“First and foremost, older people and vulnerable people are at greater risk from Coronavirus and need protection and support. Lives are at risk and protecting them is paramount.
“But let us not be under any illusions; this is an unprecedented ask. Asking people to go without face to face social contact for months at a time will have a massive impact on many people’s health and wellbeing.”
Despite charities such as Campaign to End Loneliness warning people of the effects lockdown may have on older people, Ellen seems overall quite optimistic about her experience.
Ellen soon began forming a routine for herself to “gain some sense of normality”.
“I’m one of the lucky ones because I have a good sized garden which I enjoy doing. I’ve also got a high boredom threshold so I’m quite happy to sit around playing scrabble and other games on my iPad.”
“I’m in lockdown with my husband, he’s not a great conversationalist but at least it’s another human and I quite like him. Also it gives me someone else to think of and care for. Luckily we are both fairly healthy so as long as keep him fed we’re fine.”
For more information on how to cope with isolation during lockdown, visit the Campaign to End Loneliness Website