Joan was almost 80 years old when her husband died. They had been together for more than 50 years, spending their adult lives doing everything together. They raised a family, overcame difficult financial times, took care of his future health problems, while maintaining a strong relationship and a safe and happy home.

Like many couples, they each had their own areas of responsibility, with Joan mainly taking care of the house. Widowed she had to learn to deal with all the ‘other’ things; finances, car, fixing needed home repairs. All outside of her comfort zone, but she persevered.

Being alone, she was determined not to be a burden to anyone else and had contacted several local clubs and social groups geared toward older people. She learned to play bridge, she joined a weekly walking and lunch group, she signed up for Tai Chi and Egyptology classes, she attended a weekly talk with the University of the Third Age. Many of these activities were within a twenty-minute walk of her home, a nice bonus on a nice day.

He had joined a weekly whist group and attended a musical event once a month. In general, there were interesting social activities in her diary every day of the week, bringing associated conversations, relationships and friendships.

Joan had never been interested in technology, so she had never learned to use a computer or become familiar with a mobile phone. Her regular entries in her social journal were her way of keeping in touch with the outside world and she functioned well, giving her something to do each day. Once a week she did her shopping at the supermarket and then attended her various clubs.

These activities provided much of what I needed; routine, motivation, brought order to the day, encouragement, human contact, mental and physical exercise, plus a reason to get dressed and leave the house.

But now he is in the position of finding all semblance of normal life gone. A woman who is fit, elderly and lives alone now she has to reorient herself towards a very different and lonely way of life.

Since the pandemic, it has become clear that there are many people like Joan, people who are also “no bother” to anyone, who are older, fit, independent and live alone. Until now, they have maintained a structure to their days, with various clubs and groups that allow them to lead a meaningful, active, fulfilling and sociable life.

At the beginning of the pandemic all these clubs and activities had to close and there is no reopening date in sight. Its members have lost the lifeline of their interesting everyday life. Many will not have access to online activity, do not want or need social services or charities to intervene, but simply need the fabric of their lives to return.

Yes, they may have loving families trying to stay in touch, who are carefully allowed to visit, but the loss of independence and way of life of older people who live alone, who still take enough care of themselves, who are fit and mobile, it will severely affect your mental and physical ability and agility.

With your friendship groups disbanded, it’s not easy to keep in touch with people who may be ‘friends’, but are really just nodding or casual acquaintances, people you can share jokes with. Consequently, the interest in life and the motivation to do things also decrease a lot. Routine tasks and TV can only be sustained for so long!

And in the future, when these places reopen, how many older people will have the courage or the enthusiasm to come back after so many months of messages of warning and fear? Confinement for them may well be a sentence at the end of their lives outside their homes.