COVID-19, inequality and older people::Developing community-centred interventions

This paper considers the basis for a ‘community-centred’ response to COVID-19. It highlights the pressures on communities weakened by austerity, growing inequalities, and cuts to social infrastructure. This paper examines the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on low-income communities, whilst highlighting the extent to which they have been excluded from debates about policies to limit the spread of COVID-19. This paper examines four approaches to assist the inclusion of neighbourhoods in strategies to tackle the pandemic: promoting community participation; recruiting advocates for those who are isolated; creating a national initiative for supporting community-centred activity; and developing policies for the long-term. This paper concludes with questions which society and communities will need to address given the potential continuation of measures to promote physical distancing

Precarity and the pandemic: The impact of COVID-19 on single men living alone

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Existing research reveals that single men living alone are at a heightened risk of isolation and precarity. This study traced the impact of the pandemic on the daily lives of a group of single men over three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A qualitative longitudinal study with older people aged 50 and over (n=102), interviewed by telephone in 2020-2021. This analysis focuses on a sub-sample comprising single men (n=16) who lived alone and were interviewed three times (n=48). The men were White British, Black and Asian, age 58-88, and were identified as facing difficulties in their lives arising from long-term health problems and or/social isolation. Participants were asked about the impact of, and response to, three lockdowns. Data were analysed using themes identified in the secondary literature using thematic and longitudinal analysis. RESULTS: For single men living alone, precarity intensified during the pandemic due to worsening physical and/or mental health combined with restricted access to relationships and activities. Key moments in the life course influenced how these men experienced and viewed the impact of COVID-19. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: This analysis sheds light on the deepening precarity of older men living alone during the pandemic, highlighting the emergence of new vulnerabilities for some. The findings emphasise the need, given the likelihood of future waves of the pandemic, to target support at those living alone, particularly in relation to the provision of community health services, social infrastructure, and combatting digital exclusion