BACKGROUND
Older people are experts on what a quality social life looks like while living most at risk for COVID-19-related health harms. Older Canadians have helped raise awareness of the physical and mental detriments of social isolation. Remedial initiatives that build on older people’s lived experiences are also important initiatives.
OBJECTIVE
When public health restrictions were lifted in the Summer of 2022, we aimed to collect evidence grounded in older people’s everyday lived experiences about transitioning into open spaces while COVID-19 still lingered.
METHODS
This study was part of a larger e-survey project about mentally healthy living among 1,327 community-dwelling persons 60+ years of age. A sample stratified by age, sex, and education to approximate the Canadian population was asked: With COVID-19 public health measures lifting, based on your own experience, what would you suggest other older Canadians do to reduce social isolation? They responded as they saw fit.
RESULTS
Content analysis of 1,189 open-text messages revealed four calls to action: 1) Cultivating community; 2) Making room for what’s good; 3) Don’t let your guard down; and 4) Voiced out challenges. All four remedies were similarly endorsed, regardless of messengers’ age, sex, gender identity, and perceived health. Making room for what’s good seemed more amiable for those navigating newly open spaces without a chronic illness. Education level was linked with endorsing guarded social transitions.
CONCLUSIONS
While COVID-19 is no longer a global health risk, a worrisome proportion of older people still live more isolated lives. We encourage health and social care practitioners and older people themselves to share the messages identified in this study with more isolated others.