Older adult's longitudinal experiences of household isolation and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

backgroundDue to the global pandemic, governments have enforced household isolation and social distancing to reduce infection and mortality rate. However, the impact of prolonged enforced isolation for older people who are prone to social isolation and loneliness has yet to be understood.

objectivesA longitudinal study to understand the lived experience of people aged 70 and older, living in England during COVID-19 restrictions.

methodsAll participants completed five qualitative telephone interviews from 20 April to 7 July 2020. The majority completed individual interviews (n = 13), whilst two participants completed these interviews as a couple. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis completed from the perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology.

resultsThree themes included (1) engagement and confusion with government restrictions; (2) socialisation through virtual platforms and opportunistic physical social contact; and (3) accessing health care during COVID-19 restrictions.

conclusionOlder people are committed to following government restrictions, and government campaigns need to consider the potential impact of placing an emphasis on avoiding healthcare services. Virtual platforms are supportive but not sufficient to reduce social isolation and loneliness of older people. Thus, nurses supporting older people living in the community need to understand these concepts to provide holistic care and support older people's mental and physical health. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurses are ideally placed to support older people to understand the current government restrictions, when to attend acute healthcare services or to engage virtually with healthcare appointments, and to discuss the risks of physically socialising with others.