New research reveals the challenges older people face during the pandemic

A new report released today by the Institute for Collaborative Research on Aging at the University of Manchester (MICRA) has revealed the challenges faced by people aged 50 and over, especially those in the coronavirus pandemic. they live in disadvantaged areas.

The research, funded by Manchester City Council, the Center for Aging Better and the National Lottery Community Fund’s Aging Better Program, was designed to learn about the impact of the pandemic on the daily lives of older people, to examine the activities of the elderly. community organizations working and helping local authorities and NGOs working with them.

Many of the interviewees spoke about the challenges and difficulties experienced during the closure. Physical impairment was reported, mainly due to restricted mobility and lack of exercise, and mental health deteriorated in some cases due to the effects of loss of family members, lack of contact with friends and family, the impact of protection and lack of access to meeting places.

Social isolation increased for some groups, for example single men living alone, and some South Asian women who had more responsibilities in home care, but with less support as a result of social distancing. Digital exclusion was a factor that increased social isolation for many of the interviewees.

The research found that older people worked within their communities to support others during the pandemic — in addition to supporting themselves and their families — by making friends and volunteering, adapting to technology. digital, taking advantage of their own lifelong interests and activities; access the green spaces of the community and take advantage of their faith and religious beliefs.

Greater Manchester organizations have played a key role in developing new forms of pandemic support for older people, including care support, food distribution, computer assistance, telephone friendship, l ‘advice against grief, mental health and well-being.

The report stresses the importance of developing a “community-centered” approach in planning the recovery of COVID-19, an essential part of which will be to ensure that the views of older people take center stage. This should also be included in the fight against systemic discrimination affecting different groups in society, as the pandemic has exposed and aggravated the long-standing inequalities affecting ethnic minority groups through GM.

Working within neighborhoods is especially important given the possibility of continuing unequal vaccination levels between different social and ethnic groups. This can lead to localized epidemics among those communities most at risk of serious illness and death, widening the inequalities exposed by the pandemic during its initial and subsequent waves.

The research confirmed significant variations within the older population, especially with regard to adaptation to life after closure; these and other dimensions will need to be incorporated into new approaches and methods to develop a post-pandemic of the GM-Friendly Age region.

“Our research has identified a number of challenges and responses from older people throughout the year pandemic, and a series of recommendations for policymakers and professionals in the Greater Manchester region. It will be vital to strengthen the community organizations around which the response to COVID-19 has been built; despite their many successes, they are likely to need an additional funding commitment to survive or meet the range of needs that will likely arise after three successive blockages, ”said Professor Chris Phillipson, lead author of the University of Manchester report .