A third of over 55s felt loneliness like never before during the pandemic
A third of over 55s felt loneliness like never before during the pandemic, while for 11 per cent their experience of loneliness had a significant detrimental impact on their mental wellbeing.
For many over 55s the pandemic and various lockdowns didn’t mark their first feelings of loneliness, 15 per cent recognised loneliness before the pandemic but they now have a new or better understanding due to the experiences of last year.
These are the main findings according to new research from the Audley Group, shared with Morning Wire today.
While loneliness is often talked about in older populations, it hasn’t been isolated to this age group through the pandemic.
Younger people
Loneliness also increased in prevalence in younger people. It was felt most acutely in the two youngest age brackets in the research, two thirds (66 per cent) of 16-24 year olds said they’d felt loneliness like never before during the pandemic, followed by 64 per cent of 25-34 year olds.
And it was those aged 16-24 who saw the greatest impact, with a third (33 per cent) experiencing a detrimental impact on their mental health.
The research from Audley Group chimes with recently published data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), which found that 5 per cent of people, about 2.6m adults, said that they felt lonely “often” or “always” during the early stages of the pandemic. This was even more prevalent in those with a lower average (median) age.
Engaging with friends and family was key to combating feelings of loneliness for all during the pandemic, 30 per cent of people took part in video calls with family and friends and over a quarter (27 per cent) went on walks with family and friends.
Meanwhile, 13 per cent learnt a new skill, 9 per cent sought professional help to support their wellbeing and mental health and 5 per cent bought or adopted a new pet.
“It’s safe to say the experience of the pandemic led us all to spend more time in our own company and this research highlights the true impact of this on people’s wellbeing. But what it also highlights is the importance of friends, family and a community on which people can call when any feelings of loneliness start to creep in,” said Paul Morgan, managing director operations at the Audley Group.
“This was something we experienced first-hand in the pandemic. Setting up virtual and socially distanced activities for our property owners during the pandemic allowed them to connect with friends and family but also made sure that our community spirit stayed strong in the villages when we couldn’t get together in person,” he continued.
“We had everything from virtual choir recordings and quiz nights, balcony exercise classes, outdoor music recitals and the Audley trek to keep everyone busy!” Morgan concluded.