The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on all our lives, forcing us to stay inside and reduce our contact with friends and family. And while some people will see future lockdown easing as a welcome relief, many may be feeling anxious about how to stay safe. How, then, has lockdown, and the prospect of it ending in future, affected the mental health of older people? Has it brought existing issues to the fore, or provoked entirely new ones?
There has not been an experience like the current coronavirus outbreak in most of our lifetimes and not since the Second World War have there been such restrictions on public movements.
So, it is not surprising that we are all feeling a bit scared. This is perfectly understandable, but it is still really important to look after your mental health if you are over 55 and living alone.
Things you can do to keep safe at this difficult time:
Be prepared
- Keep useful contact numbers in an obvious place e.g. GP, family, friends and plumber.
- It’s important to get in touch with your GP if you have any concerns about your health. With many routine health appointments being cancelled you may feel it’s not appropriate to contact your GP. This is not the case. GPs are still there to support your physical and mental health.
- Think about who can help you over this period. This may be friends and family but also Care first, or local and national organisations. The Samaritans are available 24/7 for free on 116 123 (UK), or Age UK Advice Line on 0800 678 1602 (UK) which is free to call 8am – 7pm every day.
- Remember that it may take longer for your pharmacist to deliver supplies and the same for grocery deliveries, so try and plan ahead.
Stay in touch
- Phone, landline, mobile, smartphone, computer, internet are potential sources of support and ways to get information about what’s available.
- Think about writing a note to neighbours asking if they can help or if they can recommend someone or a service who can. If you have a neighbour’s phone number do give them a call, you might not need anything now, but you may in the future.
- A lot of neighbourhoods are setting up local support groups, ask people if they know about this and how you can join.
Find out what you are entitled to:
- You may be entitled to an emergency food parcel
- If you are considered as being in an “at risk” category, you should have received a letter from the NHS which gives you more information about how the Government can support you to stay at home during this time. Please contact your GP if you feel you should have got this letter and nothing has arrived.
Little things to help if you are spending a great deal or all of your time by yourself:
- A routine is helpful for giving your day a sense of order and make you feel in control.
- Listen to music that you like and lets you remember different parts of your life.
Watch more films on TV or listen to the radio. - You may want to limit your intake of daily news about the virus as too much coverage can be scary and make you stressed.
- Tidying something or doing outstanding chores can feel like a major achievement.
- Keep movement in your day through some light exercise if you can.
Stay in touch with other people. This might be planning times over a week when you will call friends and family.
Be careful to stay safe
- This crisis brings the best and worst out in people.
- People may not always be who they claim in person or online.
- Always check for identification.
- If something feels wrong don’t engage with it. Don’t let someone into your home who has no identification.
- Don’t reply to an email that’s asking you for personal information about you or your finances.
- Don’t give out your bank details to anyone in person or online.
Useful sources & Information:
Some of the information sourced for this article was originally published by The Mental Health Foundation and Age UK. If you would like to access this and further information in more detail please follow the links below –
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/coronavirus/mental-health-advice-older-people-during-coronavirus-outbreak
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/discover/2020/07/mental-health-lockdown/
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/coronavirus/
If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Mental Health advice for Older People’ this is being delivered live on Friday 19th February at 1pm, please use the following link to register for this session – https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8879429819309868044
If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.
If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.