It’s great when people have neighbours or family checking in but not everyone has people around or feels comfortable reaching out

We don’t drive and I have a bit of trouble getting around so we usually have a volunteer driver for appointments and the like. We like to go for a drive around while the others get picked up. It’s a bit of an outing. We did miss that over lockdown.

Pat & Chris

Illustration by Carol Green

On the other hand, we had a wonderful volunteer picking up our shopping for us so in some ways things were actually easier. She would give us a wave and a smile and over time we started to chat. She’s even been back to see us since and showed us how to do our shopping on the computer.

Our kids aren’t nearby and they do worry so it really helped that we already knew the volunteers - they’d helped us out after the earthquakes and we knew we could trust them.

We know we’re lucky. We have a friend who cares for his partner - she has dementia. All the support they were used to had to stop during lockdown and it’s hard when routines change.

People have their own problems and responsibilities and you don’t want to add to that. Even for those people with family nearby, there’s pride in being able to organise things for yourself rather than relying on them to do it.

Reflections:

- Fear of ‘being a burden’ is a major barrier to older people reaching out and connecting (in spite of widespread recognition that intergenerational connections provide huge value to both older and younger people.)

- Trust and safety is very important for older people (and their whānau) when accessing support

- Perversely, some people actually found themselves feeling less isolated during lockdown. They were able to access services and support that they hadn’t previously and felt less alone (mobility cards was one example).

What questions does this raise for our approach to pandemics?

- What can be put in place to ensure adequate support is consistently available through all levels of restrictions including full lockdowns?

- What are the lessons we can learn from those who are coping with isolation in their normal lives, to support those who struggle to adapt to social distancing and other restrictions?

- How might we support and amplify the community-driven initiatives which have stepped in to fill the gaps while formal services have been unable to safely operate?

What questions does this raise for a more connected future?

- What additional supports made available during lockdown led to additional positive impact, and how might we amplify these?

- What can we learn from the effectiveness of community-led initiatives to build more positive intergenerational connections?

- How might we overcome the barriers which make it difficult for older and younger people to reach out and connect?