Adapting ways of working to address the impact of COVID-19 on community-based service

Age UK Lindsey is an independent local charity based in Horncastle, Lincolnshire and works to promote and improve the wellbeing of all older people in our area. We aspire to create change to enable older people to enjoy later life; our aim is to help make later life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. However, for many older people during the past 12 months, facing the impact of COVID-19, later life has not been an enjoyable experience. With the pandemic disproportionately impacting older people, especially those over 70, we have seen high levels of anxiety, lack of confidence, low mood, lack of motivation, along with increased isolation and loneliness.

Even before COVID-19, loneliness and social isolation among older adults was a public health issue, gaining recognition and understanding from both professionals and also the wider community in terms of the impact on quality of life, health, wellbeing and even early death. We have seen an understanding of the issues affecting older people from communities in their variety of responses to the pandemic, with groups coming together to help each other and in particular helping older people who are impacted by the virus.

During the pandemic Age UK Lindsey, working alongside TED (Talk, Eat, Drink), have adapted our service delivery to try and address some of the issues older people are faced with. This has not been easy as many of our activities have previously been delivered face to face in social group interactions or one to one in people’s homes. We are now delivering more of our services such as Befriending via the telephone to address issues of loneliness and isolation, when we can’t meet face to face. We are also finding more people are engaging through our website and via social media. This has made us very aware of the need to have a more digital approach, especially at a time when older people are unable to see family and friends or attend a lunch club or coffee morning.

During the pandemic, Age UK Lindsey have gained funding to employ two Digital Community Engagement workers as part of our Keep Connected Team who will work with older people in the Lindsey area, around learning digital skills such as online shopping, or using digital as a way to communicate through use of Skype, Zoom, etc., or using social media such as Facebook. We are also exploring opportunities to have interactive social gatherings to play games or socialise and looking at providing guides for ‘how to use digital’ via our website and also through phone conversations with older people.

We have also gained funding for purchasing some tablet computers, which can be especially useful for older people as they are portable, and the screen is large and clear. The tablets can be used with speech recognition software to support the use by older people or specifically adapted stylus pens designed to support those with disabilities.

When this current lockdown has ended we will be working with schools to implement an intergenerational Digital Buddy scheme, where young people can inspire older people in their community to make the most of technology. We will also be using our mobile outreach project, again funded through COVID-19 Emergency Funding, to go into rural communities and offer support to older people to learn new digital skills.

It is vital we change and adapt to meet the new challenges faced because of the pandemic, or risk that those who are digitally excluded become even further isolated from the world.

Note: In August 2020, the Centre for Ageing Better signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council to establish a five-year strategic partnership to collaborate on a number of joint priorities. The partners will work together to research and secure the best outcomes and opportunities for people in and approaching later life across Lincolnshire, focusing on the areas we know will make a difference to people's lives, including employment, homes, communities and health.