Abstract

Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of physical distancing risk collateral damage such as increased loneliness. Older adults have been identified as being at higher risk of poor outcomes if infected and in many countries have been subjected to greater restrictions on physical contacts with others. Most research so far points towards an increase in loneliness during the pandemic. However, there has been a lack of prospective studies based on representative samples of older adults, with the oldest old, older adults with low or no Internet usage, and those in poor health currently underrepresented. Despite the significance of cultural norms for individuals’ standards for social relations and, thus, the experience of loneliness, there has been a lack of comparative research on loneliness in older adults during the pandemic. Reviews have found little evidence for what interventions and what elements of interventions are effective in reducing loneliness. There is potential for social relations to be maintained via technology-based solutions, although there is a risk of excluding older adults with limited resources who are both least likely to use technology and most vulnerable to loneliness. Furthermore, remote social contacts cannot fully compensate for the loss of physical contacts. Where stay-at-home orders are not imposed, supporting neighbourliness and the community use of accessible open spaces are other options. Finally, policy responses to the pandemic need to be more nuanced and non-ageist in order to avoid unnecessary increases in loneliness in older adults.

摘要

从物理距离风险方面对 COVID-19 大流行做出的反应会带来附带损害，例如增加孤独感。老年人被确定为感染后出现不良后果的风险更高，并且在许多国家，与他人的身体接触受到更大的限制。迄今为止，大多数研究都表明大流行期间孤独感会增加。然而，缺乏基于老年人代表性样本的前瞻性研究，年龄最大的老年人、互联网使用率低或没有互联网使用率的老年人以及健康状况不佳的老年人目前代表性不足。尽管文化规范对个人社会关系标准以及孤独体验具有重要意义，但在大流行期间缺乏对老年人孤独感的比较研究。评论几乎没有发现什么干预措施和干预措施的哪些要素可以有效减少孤独感的证据。有可能通过基于技术的解决方案来维持社会关系，尽管存在将资源有限的老年人排除在外的风险，这些老年人既不太可能使用技术，又最容易孤独。此外，远程社交接触无法完全弥补身体接触的损失。在没有强制执行居家令的情况下，支持邻里关系和社区使用无障碍开放空间是其他选择。最后，应对大流行的政策需要更加细致和不带有年龄歧视，以避免老年人的孤独感不必要地增加。