THIRD OF ELDERLY TELL OF LONELINESS
HKU study calls for ‘active care’ to help aged deal with emotional distress suffered during fifth wave
Almost a third of elderly residents have said they felt lonely during the city’s fifth coronavirus wave, a survey has found, with some also reporting a decline in their mental well-being as the pandemic heads into its third year.
The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and released yesterday, urged the family and friends of the elderly, as well as the wider community, to provide “active care” to help seniors deal with emotional distress.
Kwok Wai-wai, a project manager at HKU’s department of social work and social administration who co-led the study, said rather than waiting for elderly residents to seek help, those around them needed to be proactive and make the first move.
“The fifth wave had more impact on older adults, probably because at the time, lots of news was about them being infected and the rising death rate, which placed lots of pressure on older adults,” said Kwok, who is also a senior clinical psychologist.
Government data released on Sunday showed that over 8,700 of the city’s more than 10,000 Covidrelated deaths were among those aged 70 years and above.
Members of the same age group also accounted for 70 per cent of all hospitalised Covid-19 patients during the fifth wave.
“They were also worried that if they had been infected, there would have been an impact on their family and other neighbours,” Kwok said.
As part of the study, researchers worked with 29 social welfare charities to interview 4,921 residents aged 60 and above between April and June. Some 34 per cent of respondents were 80 and above, while more than 70 per cent of those involved in the survey were women.
According to the survey, 29 per cent of respondents said they felt lonely during the fifth wave, which began in December of last year.
Some 30 per cent of interviewees also told researchers they lived alone, while 65 per cent had never contracted Covid-19.
Meanwhile, a comparison of data between the research team’s recent survey and a previous HKU study of 8,163 people in 2020 showed mental health conditions had worsened between this year and the start of the pandemic two years ago.
This year’s study found some 14 per cent and 12 per cent of interviewees showed signs of depression and anxiety, respectively, while only 8.4 per cent and 7.4 per cent were placed in the same categories in 2020.
Researchers at HKU attributed the decline to the continuing suspension of community services and at-home healthcare during the pandemic, which prevented the elderly from taking part in face-to-face activities or developing interpersonal relationships.
Professor Terry Lum Yat-sang, a project director at the university who also helmed this year’s study, said: “[Elderly people] are less likely to use online purchases for groceries, and they have to go down to wet markets or supermarkets. They are also not used to communicating by using electronic devices, so they need more face-to-face contact.”
Researchers called for authorities to reopen community centres for seniors. “Active care from friends and neighbours can reduce older adults’ feelings of loneliness and swiftly connect individuals in need with appropriate social services, serving as an essential protection for older people,” Kwok said.
A Social Welfare Department spokesman said authorities attached “great importance” to the mental health of the public during the pandemic, and that it would continue working with other departments to promote mental health in society.