Fear of COVID-19 infection was the most common factor contributing to increased mental health concerns among older people
New Delhi: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc. The last two years weren’t just difficult; they also saw many lose the closed ones. Older people and people with comorbidities suffered the most in the waves of coronavirus that swept through India and the world.
Along with serious health ailments, the elderly have also witnessed mental and emotional problems during the coronavirus pandemic. A ‘State of the Elderly Survey’ conducted by Antara covering more than 2,100 seniors aged 60 and over shows that a staggering 57 per cent of older people faced mental health problems during COVID-19.
Giving insight into the lives, opinions, preferences and consumer behavior traits of older people in urban India, the second edition of the Survey also found that the number of older people who felt the government handled well the pandemic increased to 53 percent. in 2022.
COVID-19: mental health and elderly problems
The survey found that 70 per cent of older people did not have access to adequate medical care, while more than 57 per cent of them faced mental health problems. At 81 per cent, Mumbai had the highest number of older adults facing such problems, followed by Bangalore and Pune at 70 per cent, Delhi at 64 per cent and Jaipur at 51 per cent.
Hyderabad was an exception with 94 per cent of older people not facing any mental health problems.
There’s no denying that the pandemic and subsequent lockdown had the world scrambling to keep up with the new normal, adding strain to an already vulnerable older population.
“In addition to concerns about their safety, access to basic health care facilities, groceries, medicine, among others, was affected, especially during the second wave, older people experienced more mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. related to health”, says the survey. said.
Fear among older adults amid COVID-19
With more people infected, hospitalized and many succumbing due to the deadly virus, fear was inevitable among people.
Fear of infection was the most prevalent and underlying factor contributing to rising mental health concerns among older people, with 65 percent of them facing trauma.
At 58 percent, social isolation followed fear of infection among older people. Some 53 percent feared anxiety due to COVID-19, the survey concluded.
Social isolation and loneliness is now widely recognized as a priority public health problem and policy issue for older people. The United Nations Decade for Healthy Aging (2021-2030) is recognizing these mental health issues as essential.
Concerns of older people after the COVID-19 pandemic
The main concerns of older people in the post-pandemic world, according to the survey, are avoiding serious ailments and maintaining health.
Some 72 percent of seniors chose to follow a self-controlled balanced diet, while 55 percent turned to home remedies rather than seeking professional help.
Seniors Satisfied With Indian Government’s Handling Of COVID-19 Pandemic
It can be recalled that although facing major challenges, the Indian government managed the COVID-19 pandemic efficiently. The Center introduced a series of measures to counteract the country’s struggling economy.
Policy measures including a Rs 20 trillion support package, with the specific aim of supporting the availability of credit for SMEs and micro-enterprises and establishing a Rs 500 billion fund of funds with a corpus of Rs 100 billion of rupees to provide equity financing to businesses with growth potential put the country on the path to economic revival.
It is worth mentioning that the government pushed aggressive vaccination in the country, as indigenous vaccines such as Covaxin and Covishield made rapid progress in their research and development.
All these measures changed the perception of the country’s population, including the elderly. The number of older people who felt the government handled the pandemic well increased from 23 percent (seen in the first edition of the Antara survey) to 59 percent in 2022.
The relief provided by the government in the form of political measures and financial assistance helped change perceptions among older people, 56 percent of whom believed that the government grants they received worked for the cause.
Furthermore, a shocking 90 per cent of Hyderabad respondents felt government grants were adequate for COVID-19 relief.
How and where was the COVID-19 survey conducted in older people?
The survey was conducted across urban India, with a focus on the north (Delhi and the national capital region). [NCR]Jaipur), the West (Mumbai and Pune), and the South (Bengaluru and Hyderabad), with a Random Sampling methodology.
The survey found that 64 per cent of volunteers welcome the idea of allied health care services in India through assisted living facilities. Of these, 44 percent say they prefer such a facility as it gives them the opportunity to live with like-minded people, while 24 percent believe opting for such a facility will ensure their care needs are met. medical.
The survey, however, found that lack of awareness and the existence of such affordable facilities are the biggest concerns.
“Today, the older population in India has changing needs and aspirations. They want to actively contribute to the economy, lead a decent life and become more independent,” said Rajit Mehta, MD and CEO of Antara:
He went on to add that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about notable changes in their life patterns and preferences, technology consumption, along with an increase in mental health problems.
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