Older and home alone in lockdown: how has support from family, friends and neighbours changed?

Summary

This paper provides the first insight into the receipt of help and support amongst older people aged 70 and over during the first four weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown when this group had been explicitly advised to stay at home and minimise contact with others.
The good news is that these research results indicate that the majority of older people received support from the wider community. During the pandemic lockdown, a significant proportion of older people received an increased level of help from existing caregivers or received support from new caregivers. This was especially the case amongst those living alone or with a partner also aged 70 and over.
However, there is also evidence that older people with difficulties in performing key activities of daily living faced a higher risk of receiving less care and support during the lockdown, raising the spectre that some older people are not receiving adequate social care. This policy briefing provides an overview of the key findings of a SocArXiv article available at: https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/962dy