'Keep talking' is the message from two Buckinghamshire New University researchers for older people self-isolating during the coronavirus crisis. Dr Anne Chappell and Dr Elaine Welsh say being forced indoors and away from social support systems like day centres or exercise classes means speaking on the phone and talking is vital for OAPs to stay connected.

Dr Welsh, Senior Lecturer Social Sciences, and Dr Chappell, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, said  maintaining contact across the generations and hearing someone's voice was critical for ensuring over-65s, who make up about 18% of the population, do not feel cut off during the current situation.

They said: "Older people’s resilience (to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis) is rooted in social support systems that they use regularly, including inter-generational family contact, so speaking to children and grandchildren, for example.

"In lockdown it will be difficult for many older people to use their usual support networks in their usual ways, so connecting with people is more important now than ever.

"Ideally we need older people to harness technology, as younger people are doing, but we realise this isn't always realistic as there are fewer older people who are comfortable using technology and speaking to people on things like WhatsApp and Facebook.

"This pandemic has revealed how important it is to give support to older people so they can use technology.

"So, we urge the older generation to continue to talk on a regular basis in whichever way they can – either on the telephone or if they can through face to face technology – with as many of their usual contacts as possible to ensure they maintain their own wellbeing.

Dr Chappell and Dr Welsh said one way they would suggest service providers such as local authorities, day centres, and charitable organisations could tackle the problem would be to create ‘coffee morning’ spaces online or through group telephone meetings to keep in touch with older people.

"Where this isn’t possible, service providers or volunteers telephoning older people who are socially isolating could help to sustain their resilience through this period," added Dr Chappell and Dr Welsh. "What is clear from our research is we cannot create resilience alone and we all have to keep talking with each other and across the generations.”

Dr Chappell and Dr Welsh's advice is included in their research in to Resilience, Relationality, and Older People: The Importance of Intergenerationality, published in Sociological Research Online.