WHO Case study: Keeping Well At Home, Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Ageing Hub booklet

Description

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government relied heavily on digital channels to provide public information.  This disproportionately excluded older people – one of the groups with least access to (or experience of) using the internet, and one of those hardest hit by COVID-19.  Feedback from older people revealed high levels of confusion and fear around the virus, with many feeling overlooked or forgotten. According to an NHS Digital report, around half of the approximately 11.5 million people in the UK that lack digital skills are aged over 65 years. A separate report on digital exclusion found that older people in low-income groups and from marginalized communities were particularly affected.

n response, the Healthy Ageing Research Group at the University of Manchester collaborated with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Ageing Hub and the Greater Manchester Older People’s Network to develop Keeping Well at Home, a booklet providing practical advice and support for older people during the COVID-19 restrictions, including guidance on home exercises, maintaining mental well-being, nutrition and hydration, staying connected to others, and fall-prevention.