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Living
Conditions
Youngsters'
Attitude
Mental
Wellbeing
Fight against
Covid-19
UK Population Pyramid, mid-2019
According to the UK Population Estimates, 18.5% of the total population are aged 65 years and over in mid-2019.
There were 1.6 million people aged 85 years and over living in the UK (2.5% of the total population).
The population aged 65 years and over had the highest level of growth of any broad age group.
Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency – Population Estimates
How are their living conditions?
'Culture, financial status, health conditions and the ethnicity of the elderly determine the living conditions of them,' said Kay Kaur, a British interviewee working in the healthcare sector.
Living Alone
According to Age UK, more than 2 million people in the UK over the age of 75 live alone, and more than a million older people say that they go over a month without speaking to a family member, friend or neighbor (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2018). When living alone, older people can become socially isolated, which leads to negative effects on their health and mental well-beings.
Living with Family
Although moving in with family members is not a popular option for the elderly in the UK, the National Institute of Health suggests that the number of people living with their aging parents is gradually on the rise. The elderly have more bonding time with their family members, improved mental health and stronger social connections.
Living in Care Homes
According to LaingBuisson (2018), there are 11,109 care homes for older people and those living with dementia. Approximately 418,000 people live in care homes (Laing and Buisson survey 2016). This is 4% of the total population aged 65 years and over, rising to 15% of those aged 85 or more.
What is the youngsters’ attitude towards them?
[YouTube: Channel 4]
The Kids & Old People Compete In An Exciting Sports Day! | Old People's Home For 4 Year Olds
In the past...
According to a report conducted by the Centre for Ageing Better, one in three people within the UK report experiencing age prejudice or age discrimination. Older people are mostly seen as incompetent, hostile or a burden on others, and these negative attitudes are rife in the workplace, in health and social care and in the media (Centre for Aging Better, 2020). The report – titled Doddery But Dear? – reviewed all existing research on attitudes to aging. In terms of the health and social care, it found that stereotypes are even more negative, with attitudes focusing on death and physical decline, and aging seen as a process of increasing ill health.
[YouTube: The Independent]
How children and elderly people come together in UK's first intergenerational care home.
Nowadays...
A research from the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) shows that a quarter of millennials believe it is normal for older people to be unhappy and depressed, while 40% believe there is no way to escape dementia as you get older.
However, more than two-thirds of the public (69%) agreed that “fundamentally, older people are no different from people of other ages”.
Kay Kaur
'There is an increasing trend of people fulfilling the responsibilities of taking care of their parents and grandparents in the UK.'
How is their mental wellbeing?
Mental health needs of older people have always been under-recognised and under-treated.
According to Kay Kaur, a British healthcare worker, loneliness, depression and anxiety disorder are the three major issues hampering the mental wellbeing of the elderly in the country.
Loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness is a severe mental health concern for the elderly in the UK. It is associated with reduced happiness and satisfaction with life. Lack of trust in other people, fear of being subject to aggression and decreasing financial supports further isolate them from the society intensifying their feelings of loneliness and alienation (Hacihasanoğlu, 2011).
Depression
Depression
The most typical mental health problem of the age group of 65 or over. It is estimated that 22% of men and 28% of women and 40% of the elderly in care homes in the age group suffer from this (Stickland & Gentry, 2016).
Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety disorders are common among older people. 1 in 20 of them are affected (Bryant et al, 2008). It is, however, no longer seen as the primary diagnosis. It can be a feature of dementia, depression, and physical illness (Burns et al, 2017).
How does coronavirus affect their lives?
[ITV News] UK care home coronavirus death statistics reveal true story of crisis
The elderly are at higher risk of suffering with coronavirus and more likely to have the most severe outcomes. Since the start of the pandemic, 86% of deaths of care home residents have occurred in the care home, compared with 84% over the same period for 2015-19. Three in four care home residents who died of Covid did so in a care home – the remaining residents were likely to have died in hospital.
[Guardian News] Husband and wife emotional reunion in care home after months apart
Video filmed by staff at Baily House care home in Mansfield shows an emotional reunion between Mary, 89 and a resident, and her husband, Gordon, 89, after several months apart. Gordon, who has been married to Mary for 68 years, had been in another care home and moved into Baily House when a room became available to join his wife, from whom he had been separated during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
[CBC News: The National] Fighting loneliness among elderly during COVID-19 lockdowns
The elderly in the UK are worried about contracting COVID-19, about the wellbeing and safety of their family, and about the future. For some older people, the anxiety has been debilitating, leading to panic attacks and physical symptoms which are having a profound impact on their day-to-day lives. According to AgeUK, one in three (34%) older people agree that their anxiety is now worse or much worse than before the start of the pandemic.
[BBC News] Remembering Captain Sir Tom Moore
Captain Sir Tom Moore, the 100-year-old Army veteran, raised almost £33m for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden. He was therefore knighted in the Queen's first official engagement in person. He later died with coronavirus in February 2021.
How may we help?
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Volunteering
Donation
Relevant Agencies
According to SupportLine, there are different agencies which can provide help and support for the elderly in the UK.
Able Community Care:
01603 764567
Arrange live-in carers for an elderly or disabled person in the UK.
Age UK Advice Line:
to 0800 678 1602
Information and advice for older people.
Alzheimers Society:
Dementia Connect Helpline: 0333 150 3456
Information, support, advice and referrals to appropriate organisations.
The Cinnamon Trust:
01736 757900
National charity for elderly or terminally ill people and their pets. Network of volunteers who can visit homebound owners to take dogs for daily walks, foster pet as one of their family when owners face time in hospital, take pets to the vet, by pet food, clean budgie cage, have national register of nursing homes and residential homes and sheltered housing for elderly that will accept residents and their pets. Can arrange care of pets when owners die.
Reconnections by Independent Age:
https://www.independentage.org/reconnections/service
With the help of their friendly local volunteers they provide companionship, encouragement and ideas to help over 65s rediscover old interests and make new friends. Currently working in Barking & Dagenham and Havering, Guildford & Waverley
Reengage:
0800 716 543
To enable very elderly people living alone to enjoy social contact, bringing companionship into their lives. Independent self run groups of volunteers and elderly housebound people are formed in a particular area. Once a month on a Sunday afternoon, each group (of some 6 volunteers and 8-10 elderly people) meets in the home of a volunteer host.
Different Strokes:
0345 130 7172 / 01908 317618
Registered charity providing unique free services to younger stroke survivors throughout the UK. Helps stroke survivors of working age to optimize their recovery, take control of their own lives and regain as much independence as possible by offering rehabilitative services, information and advice. Network of different stroke exercise groups, telephone helpline, counselling network.
Elderly Accommodation Counsel:
First Stop Advice for Older People
Helpline for older people, families and agencies. Guidance, advice and information to help callers choose and fund the accommodation most suited to their needs. Maintain a national database of all forms of accommodation for older people.
Dementia UK:
0800 888 6678
Telephone or email advice and support for family carers, people with dementia and professionals provided by experienced Admiral nurses.
Friends of the Elderly:
020 7730 8263
email: enquiries@fote.org.uk
To support older people, often frail, confused or with dementia, to maintain a level of independence and choice by providing a complete range of services for them, provides home visiting services, run day centre facilities.
Grandparents Apart - Self Help Group Scotland:
0141 882 5658
Support for grandparents apart from their grandchildren.
Grandparents Plus:
0300 123 7015
National charity which champions the vital role of grandparents and the wider family in children's lives - especially when they take on the caring role in difficult family circumstances.
Hourglass:
0808 808 8141
https://wearehourglass.org/who-we-are
UK's only charity focusing on the abuse and neglect of older people.
IndependentAge (new brand name of the Royal United Kingdom Beneficent Association (RUKBA):
0800 319 6789
Charity that champions independence for older people. Aims to help older people on low incomes to live independently with dignity and peace of mind by providing a regular extra income, grants for emergencies, equipment to aid independence, support and friendship of volunteers, nursing and residential care and help with fees.
OMEGA:
01743 245088
Work with family care-givers, people nearing the end of life, bereaved, socially isolated individuals, frail and the elderly. Information and support and The Chatterbox telephone befriending service.
onHand:
0203 488 2912
Trusted volunteers are matched to older adults who need help at home, shopping, tech lessons, gardening, small jobs, cup of tea etc. A free national service
OPAAL:
Supporting independent advocacy services for older people. Website includes list of advocacy services across the country.
Pets As Therapy:
01865 671440
Provide therapeutic visits to hospitals, hospices, nursing and care homes, special needs schools, and a variety of other venues by volunteers with their own friendly temperament tested cats and dogs.
Royal Voluntary Service:
0808 196 3646
www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/get-help
RVS has more than 35,000 volunteers who help support older people stay independent at home and active in their communities. It's that practical little bit of help that makes all the difference, whether at home, getting them where they want to go, bringing people together through social activities or supporting them in hospital. Their aim is to provide the support that enables older people to live independent and fulfilled lives.
The Silver Line:
0800 4 70 80 90
Free confidential helpline providing information, friendship, advice to people aged 55 and over. Open 24hrs a day every day of the year. Can link callers to local groups and services, offer regular befriending calls, protect and support those who are suffering abuse and neglect.
The Stroke Association:
0303 3033 100
Information, advice, latest research, Talkstroke discussion forum.
Stroke Support Group:
For all types of stroke online community and information.
St. Vincent de Paul Society:
07587 035 121/020 7703 3030
To support the needy and marginalized by person to person contact. Activities include helping the elderly, sick, unemployed, lonely, bereaved.
Thrive:
0118 988 5688
Thrive is a small national charity that uses gardening to change the lives of disabled and older people. Thrive has two gardening projects, one near Reading in Berkshire and one in Battersea Park, South London. Thrive also supports around 900 gardening projects in England and the Irish Republic and can put people in touch with a project in their local area.
References
Bryant C, Jackson H, Ames D (2008) The prevalence of anxiety in older adults: Methodological issues and a review of the literature. Journal of Affective Disorders, 109(3): 233–50.
Burns, A., Thompsell. A., Mueller, C., Harwood, D., Bagshaw, P. (2017). Older People's Mental Health The Practice Primer. NHS England: Mental Health in Older People.
Hacihasanoğlu, Rabia, Yildirim, Arzu, & Karakurt, Papatya. (2011). Loneliness in elderly individuals, level of dependence in activities of daily living (ADL) and influential factors. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 54(1), 61-66.
Members of executive of Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry, the Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2018). Suffering in silence: age inequality in older people’s mental health care. College Report CR211.
Office for National Statistics. (2019). UK population pyramid interactive. Retrieved 10 May, 2021, from https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/articles/ukpopulationpyramidinteractive/2020-01-08
Patel, Sonny S, & Clark-Ginsberg, Aaron. (2020). Incorporating Issues of Elderly Loneliness into the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Public Health Response. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 14(3), E13-E14.
Stickland, N., Gentry, T. (2016). Hidden in Plain Sight: The Unmet Mental Health Needs of Older People. Age UK.
SupportLine. (2021). Problems: Older People. Retrieved 10 May, 2021, from https://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/older-people/
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