I am very concerned about the implicit ageism in a lot of the debate around Christmas - and more generally around Coivd-19 policy. Some highlights from @age_uk valuable overview of the lives of people over 65 (1/5) ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/a…
There are just under 12 million people in the UK aged over 65 - only 400,000 live in care homes. 93.5% of those aged 60-9 are not considered frail by official definitions. Even among the 90+group, 35% are not defined as frail (2/5)
24% of those over 50 in England report feeling lonely some of the time: 7% feel this often. Loneliness, social isolation, and living alone have all been associated with an increased risk of premature death. They are also thought to bring a 40% increase in risk of dementia (3/5)
When you are considering the risks of Covid infection from a Christmas visit, you should also think about the resilience of the older people involved and about the potential harms (4/5)
Remember that older people have a right to make their own risk assessments as well. This is not a decision for middle-aged children, etc. to make for them, however well-meaning that decision may be (5/5)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
