The importance of staying socially connected

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the issue of loneliness and isolation for older people. A significant portion of older people constantly live with loneliness and isolation, with 1 in 5 older people experiencing it at a level that detrimentally impacts on their physical and mental wellbeing, however lockdown has exacerbated the issue for many.

KEVIN LAMB CEO, Age Concern Auckland ocial connection is a core psychological need. People need to feel they belong to a group and feel connected to other people. The sudden loss of our usual routines, which can happen during periods of lockdown, can put an increased number of older people at risk of feeling lonely and socially disconnected.

For many older people not being able to spend time with family and friends is the hardest part of lockdown and the consequences of this can be serious. Research shows that older people who are lonely are more likely to develop serious physical and mental health problems including strokes, heart problems and dementia.

Many of New Zealand’s aged care facilities are usually thriving social hubs with large friend groups, clubs, games and activities to participate in. But this can’t be the case during level 4 and level 3 lockdown when residents become restricted to household bubbles and must socially distance when they leave for essential reasons and light exercise. Residents who live alone will miss the vital social connection they normally get.

Loneliness and isolation for older people not digitally connected is worse. Aged Care Facilities have done a great job of providing digital social connectively during lockdowns to mitigate loneliness and isolation. With facilities providing online learning opportunities, games, chats and even wine-tasting! Digital connection also allows us to video call with family and friends we can’t see in person. However, for some older people digital connection is not an option and this makes it very difficult during enforced lockdown.

A lack of digital connection can be for a variety

of reasons, including lack of availability, or lack of knowledge or hearing or sight impairment. It is vital that social connection opportunities are delivered to these older people.

Age Concern Auckland has worked recently with an older person struggling with technology and her feelings of frustration and hopelessness over the technology has added to the anxiety she was already experiencing. We need to find workable options for older people unfamiliar with technology, to help them stay connected and positive even when alone.

Simple things we can do to ensure that an older person’s sense of connection is maintained during and after a lockdown:

• Check in on people. Often those older people that need the connection the most won’t ask for help. • Create a phone tree for residents living alone, a regular friendly chat can make all the difference in alleviating feelings of loneliness and isolation. • Encourage older people who are feeling lonely to do something they enjoy – reading, listening to music, a creative hobby, this can help take their mind off their loneliness. • People have a life-long capacity for learning and development, provide older people with the opportunity to learn something new. This could be in a printed form for those who aren’t digitally savvy. • Monitoring the health and wellbeing of your residents following a period of lockdown and if you feel their health is suffering encourage them to seek the help they need, whether it’s through a doctor, a counsellor or by speaking with their local Age Concern.

It’s vital to remember an individual’s sense of connection with others and their community is a key factor in determining their overall health, wellbeing, and resilience in times of crisis or difficulty. So it is vital that older people feel connected, so they can be more resilient during these uncertain COVID times.

The pandemic places a spotlight on issues that are always a concern, like loneliness and isolation, meaning we also need to look at how to we address these issues in a meaningful way going forward. While the majority of older people live well there is a significant minority that don’t and we, as an industry, need to look at how we can meet the needs of this minority to ensure they are supported, not only during pandemics but every day.

Age Concern Auckland is a charity providing services and support to over 65’s. Services provided include: Elder Abuse Response Service, Community Social Work, Visiting Service, Social Connections Services, Health Promotion, Counselling and Total Mobility Assessments. Services are delivered in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean.