Only the lonely

With the launch of the Older People’s Task and Finish Group briefing paper for the DCMS Tackling Loneliness Network. Head of Policy & Influencing, Morgan Vine, writes about the group and their recommendations.

In the summer of 2020, I co-chaired a group of large and small, local and national organisations who care about, and provide support to, people in later life. We came together as part of the DCMS Tackling Loneliness Network to share what we were hearing from people on the ground about how COVID-19 was impacting their feelings of loneliness. We also shared the affect the pandemic was having on our ability as organisations to provide our much needed services to communities across the country. Our aim was to determine what organisations like us, companies and local and national government could do to improve the situation.

Loneliness is a common feeling that many of us might have, or will, experience. But research has shown that some people are more likely to be impacted than others. The risk factors that increase people’s likelihood of experiencing loneliness include living alone, being digitally disconnected, and living with a long-term physical or mental health condition. People from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities can also be significantly affected. And, more recently loneliness has become an everyday reality for many of those who have been ‘shielding’ or people classed as ‘clinically vulnerable’, which includes all those aged over 70. To me, it’s clear that many of the risk factors on this list can apply to people in later life, and it is essential that they are offered tailored support as we move forward as a country.

As part of our work, we heard from people aged 50 and over from all walks of life about their experiences and learned what might help. This is what they told us:

Feelings of loneliness

Despite national statistics painting a picture that older people weren’t feeling as lonely as younger generations, it was clear from our conversations that loneliness is still having a huge impact on many people in later life.

• 74% of our survey respondents said they lacked companionship and felt left out often or some of the time.
• 82% said they felt isolated from others some of the time, or often.
• 73% said that the Coronavirus pandemic has made them feel significantly or somewhat more lonely or isolated than they did before.

“It can be lonely if you are living with dementia and add COVID-19 into the mix and the loneliness and isolation can become unbearable. I’ve had very dark times, earlier in the year I tried to take my own life. Spending so much time on my own was overwhelming. It’s not always easy”.

“I’m very lucky in that I share a house with my family. But having people around doesn’t mean you’re not lonely. You are with people who don’t understand the problems I have”.

• 71% said their contact with friends and family decreased,
• And 72% of respondents said their contact with organisations that they used to interact with before the pandemic had decreased.

We know from speaking to charities and service organisations across the country that many were financially impacted by the pandemic, resulting in them being forced to close or reduce the services they offer. Others were dealing with employees having to take time off sick with COVID, alongside national restrictions which prevented their usual activity.

The impact of bereavement and grief

Many individuals we spoke to as part of this work had been bereaved during the pandemic and our research at Independent Age has shone a spotlight on the scale of this. We predict that up to 307,000 people aged 65 and over have been bereaved of a partner over the last year. As part of the Tackling Loneliness group, I heard directly about the impact bereavement has had:

“No support before and after my husband died at home. Not allowed a funeral. Left completely alone as no one, even my children, was allowed to travel to help me. I have been traumatised by the experience and it has made my bereavement much harder to bear.”

“My wife died in May with coronavirus and, although I was allowed to visit her in hospital just before she died, before that I could only speak to her via phone. The most distressing thing was the limitations for the funeral and not being able to celebrate her life.”

Many people in later life will suffer from complicated, or prolonged, grief. While they may benefit from emotional support or counselling, this is often hard to access with patchy provision across the country.

The impact of shielding and social distancing

Almost two million people over 65 were told to shield during much of the pandemic, with everyone else over 70 being told they were at more risk to the virus than others and being classed as ‘clinically vulnerable’. As the year progressed, we saw the easing of restrictions in the summer and autumn. However, people shared with us that despite the easing, they didn’t feel comfortable going outside or meeting people:

“I felt very isolated, the easing of restrictions didn’t make any difference to me, except that support stopped.”

“Frustrated, alone, lonely, worried for my future, if I would survive.”

There was a real shared loss of confidence to go outside and take part in day-to-day activities like going to the shops or using public transport. Our survey revealed an anxiety among people in later life specifically caused by the fear of being forgotten, respondents shared they felt envious as others as they were able to begin slightly returning back to normal life and activities.

Access to emotional support

38% of survey respondents told us they didn’t feel they had been able to access enough emotional support during the pandemic, such as having someone to talk to, or speaking with a professional help to deal with anxiety.

“I’m exhausted. I’m a lone carer, with no support from family or anyone else. The first lockdown was ok because the spring and summer meant we could get out. Now the longer, dark evenings and cold wet weather keep us indoors… I feel overwhelmed by responsibility.”

Much like bereavement counselling, it’s essential that mental health support is available for all who need it, including those in later life. Yet at the moment, only 6% of referrals to IAPT, the NHS talking therapy programme in England, are people aged over 65.

Emerging together

We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to share their stories with us. It was so powerful listening to such open and honest testimony about the very real impact loneliness is having. These experiences helped form our recommendations, and I’m pleased to say some of these are already in progress, thanks to both the actions of numerous government departments locally and nationally, the NHS, and the hard work of third sector organisations, volunteers and individuals. But more action is needed. Despite the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, uncertain times lie ahead, and many are deeply worried about what the future will hold. The resilience of people in later life, and the volunteers and organisations who support them, is being tested like never before.

That is why it’s essential that solutions are put in place to support people of all ages out of loneliness and to reconnect with their social networks and communities. People in later life must not be excluded when it comes to the country’s recovery. We want charities, companies, government and others to continue to come together and do everything they can to support people to live their best lives.

Want to know more?

For information and advice on coping with loneliness, speak to an Independent Age’s adviser on our free and confidential number: 0800 319 6789 or email advice@independentage.org

You can watch our short film on YouTube about this project.

You can read the full briefing our working group put together on Independent Age’s website.

You can also read more in the Tackling Loneliness Network Action Plan: Emerging Together.

If you’re interested to find out more about research into loneliness during the pandemic, many of our working group organisations have conducted their own…

• Independent Age: Home Truths: experiences of people in later life during COVID-19
• Age UK: The impact of COVID-19 on older people
• Alzheimer’s Society: Worst hit: dementia during coronavirus
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: Does the pandemic change how we address age and ageing?
• British Red Cross: Lonely and Left Behind and Life After Lockdown: Tackling Loneliness
• Campaign to End Loneliness: Promising Approaches Revisited
• Centre for Ageing Better: Helping out: Taking an inclusive approach to engaging older volunteers
• Mind: The Mental Health Emergency: How has the coronavirus impacted our mental health
• What Works Wellbeing: How has COVID-19 and associated lockdown measures affected loneliness in the UK?