A YORK survey has revealed the severe impact of the coronavirus pandemic on people who are ageing without children and have no family to rely on.

Sue Lister, coordinator of Ageing Without Children (AWOC) York, said that despite many media stories about the impact of Covid-19 on older people, the experiences of1.5 million people over 65 in the UK with no close family had been invisible.

"News coverage is family-centric, focusing on stories of separated grandparents unable to hug their grandchildren, the restrictions on families visiting ageing relatives in care homes or families enjoying coming together in Zoom and WhatsApp sessions," she said.

She said a small piece of unfunded qualitative research had been carried out with members of the AWOC York peer support group to find out more about their personal experiences of how they have coped during the pandemic.

"It was found that people ageing without children in York were acutely aware of how much their ability to cope rested on the strength of their own health and wellbeing and the potential fragility of their support networks," she said.

"People were keenly aware that, for example, neighbours could become overburdened with helping or simply have to return to work and be unable to offer support, and if respondents became ill or experienced a crisis, life could suddenly become very different."

One respondent said: “I think it brings it home to you about not having children when so many people are dependent on them at present.”

Report author Jenny Collieson said that as organisations were thinking about developing new ways of care and support for better later life after the pandemic, the voices of the growing number of older people ageing without children must be included.