Vulnerable and elderly 'still scared to leave homes post-covid'

'A number of people have never come back into socialising outside their homes,' said IRD Duhallow community services development officer Brighid-Ide Walsh.

The isolation of elderly people has been compounded by the fact many of their families moved away for work. Picture: iStock

"Vulnerable, elderly, and isolated" people living in one of the country’s oldest population regions in Cork have retreated into their shells and may never leave their homes again, primarily due to fear they endured during the covid pandemic, it has been claimed.

Registered charity IRD Duhallow has expressed fears that a large number of vulnerable people in the region are still not going to Mass, pubs, or GAA matches, and that fewer bachelors are coming to eat subsidised meals at its headquarters in Newmarket, Co Cork.

Duhallow, in northwest Co Cork, has a 2% higher ratio of elderly living in the region than the national average.

During the height of the pandemic, IRD Duhallow mounted a friendly-phonecall service to keep in contact with more than 600 people, many of whom worried about dying alone and nobody coming to their funeral.

While the number of people seeking phone calls has dropped significantly since, it has reported that there is a noticeable increase in vulnerable people continuing to cocoon.

Those remaining in self-isolation are looking to get IRD people to visit them in their homes for some form of social interaction, and the charity is trying to recruit volunteers to fill these roles.

'Scared to go out'

Brighid-Ide Walsh, the charity's community services development officer, said rural isolation was compounded by covid, and the fallout is very evident in her region.

“A number of people have never come back into socialising outside their homes,” said Ms Walsh.

"There’s a picture that some of them will never come out again. 

This is very much the fear we have."

The isolation of elderly people has been compounded by the fact many of their families moved away to work in areas where there is more employment.

This has left a shortage in the number of relatives caring for them, and as a result, Ms Walsh said IRD Duhallow is seeing an increase in the number of people availing of the meals-on-wheels and laundry services it provides.

Brighid-Ide Walsh (centre) with Moira Sheehan and Tim Twomey in the horticultural section at IRD Duhallow. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

“Again, this [increase in demand] is also because some people are still scared to go out," she said.

"Pre-covid, we would have three buses full going on mystery tours as part of the Bealtaine Festival. This year we filled just one.

"We're getting at least one or two requests from people [to visit their homes] on a daily basis now.”

Poor computer skills

Ms Walsh has predicted this demand is only going to increase.

She said a lot of very religious people have not returned to going to Mass in person.

Some have learned how to access online Masses, however others have been unable to do so due to poor computer skills or a lack of proper broadband.

She said almost all elderly people without family or friends to help them are struggling to get to grips with digital skills such as logging onto online masses or watching Gaelic football or hurling via GAAGO.

Ms Walsh said that isolation will inevitably cause mental health issues and that “a major rejigging of services is needed post-covid to deal with its fallout”.