The idea of confining seniors longer has been abandoned, and fortunately! The most isolated have already suffered greatly from loneliness during the epidemic, according to a study by the association of the Little Brothers of the Poor.
"Despite a great surge of family and civic solidarity, many elderly people, especially elderly women with modest incomes, have suffered even more from loneliness and isolation," notes the association. And this isolation is an "aggravating factor of loss of autonomy".
The CSA study carried out for the association with 1,503 people over the age of 60, shows that between March 15 and May 11, 43% of those polled said that they had had contact with their staff almost every day during this period. family (compared to 33% previously). Conversely, 4% of those over 60, or 720,000 seniors, "had no contact with their families during confinement". That's four times more than normal. 650,000 elderly people have not found anyone to talk to, particularly about their deteriorating psychological state.
“A triple penalty isolation-precariousness-digital exclusion”
These most isolated elderly people "live in a kind of permanent confinement, […] a triple penalty of isolation-precariousness-digital exclusion" and may have felt "completely abandoned" during the epidemic crisis. 4.1 million French people aged 60 and over never use the Internet, especially the oldest and most modest, recalls the association. Usually, their regular contact comes down to the pharmacist, the baker or the doctor, people they no longer saw during this period. These "invisible" people "suffered the most", according to the Little Brothers' general delegate, Armelle de Guibert.
At the beginning of May, a telephone survey by Ergocall, a call platform intended to support the over 65 isolated, often mandated by social landlords, had already shown that in addition to families, separated by confinement, 33.7 % of professional carers had been forced to reduce, or even cancel, their stay at the home of seniors in April. "Of the 2,000 people we had on the phone, I never thought that so many would be completely alone," said Audrey Stervinou, occupational therapist mobilized for the investigation.
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"The question of loneliness is an unthinkable of our public policies", underlines Armelle de Guibert. The Covid-19 crisis made it possible to highlight it, "but we wouldn't want it to go down like a blast." Solidarity must therefore continue and be strengthened "so that we can reach those who have fallen through the cracks".
Maintain local shops
For people in retirement homes, it is necessary to "systematize the telephone lines in the rooms", "equip all establishments with digital tools for the use of residents", or even "facilitate the intervention of support volunteers" and "give them a clear status", advocates the association. Little Brothers volunteers deplored, during the crisis, that they had not been informed of the death of elderly people with whom they had developed ties.
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For those who live at home, the city must be fitted out to facilitate their movement, and local shops must be maintained. The association also considers it important to "refuse the commodification of the social bond", referring to the commercial proposals of companies which send students "to make so-called conviviality visits" to seniors for a fee.
