By Charlotte Webster-
Many deaths in Care Homes may have been linked to loneliness and the absence of physically company for lonely older people, The Eye Of Media.Com has heard.
During the lockdown, residents of care homes were not allowed visitors because of the risk of infections from the coronavirus. This meant many residents in care homes had to deal with their illnesses and psychological problems alone.
Researchers form Home Care Insight– an online publication dedicated to the Care Industry, told The Eye Of Media.Com that the neglect of elderly people with ailments in Care Homes could have itself acted as a catalyst for the deaths of many people in care homes.
Insisting on anonymity, one researcher said: ”loneliness is a bigger killer than many acknowledge, especially for elderly people with ailments. Adding the fear of Covid-19 alone to that could easily have gone a long way in leading to accelerated deaths in Care Homes all over the UK.
We must remember that a lot of those in care homes are suffering from other serious ailments that normally cause them plenty of stress and heart ache. Once you take away the limited company they have and tell them a deadly disease is floating around, this can lead to a shut down in the immune system.
Many people also underestimate the impact of external information on people’s dreams and the effec this could have on their waking lives”.
Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, believes that many deaths In Care Homes might have been linked to the lockdown banning people from visiting others and pushing people to avoid necessary NHS care.
The expressed view suggests that loneliness for older people can be fatal, especially when mixed with fear.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is also creating an epidemic of loneliness, not just for older people, and sadly there are some people who will fall through the net,” he said.
“GPs are working hard to check on their patients who are shielding, and the NHS volunteers have been doing a good job of looking after vulnerable people in their communities.”
He added: “But we are noticing an increase in people dying in the community, often at home and often due to conditions unrelated to Covid-19, such as cardiac arrest.
“If people are choosing not to seek medical attention for non-Covid illnesses for fear of catching the virus, or because they are worried about being a burden on the NHS, then it is incredibly concerning.”
The news follows the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which show a major rise in deaths related to dementia, strokes and old age.
The ONS said one possible explanations for the rise in deaths could be a reluctance to seek care or a delay in receiving care.
“Delayed care could result from a reluctance to seek health care because of anxiety about exposure to COVID-19 or burdening the healthcare system, or it could result from overstretching of the healthcare system,” the department said.
“These could result in an increase in deaths from causes that can be quickly fatal without treatment if earlier symptoms are not treated. Such causes include ischaemic heart disease and other forms of circulatory disease, stroke, sepsis, meningitis, appendicitis, asthma and diabetes.”
Dr Jane Townson, CEO of United Kingdom Homecare Association, has also previously warned of unseen deaths occurring at home during the pandemic.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Dr Jane Townson said that while there has been substantial media attention on hospitals and care homes, her concern is that the “third scene in this unfolding tragedy” is in people’s own homes.
“[We fear for] people dying unseen because the home care workers that normally support them won’t be able to go anymore because the companies that they work for will go bust and family carers will be unable to cope.”