Almost two-thirds of Wellington’s senior population are currently staying home as much as possible, according to a new
survey by Age Concern Wellington Region (ACWR).
Age Concern wanted to discover more about what was happening for seniors as large numbers of the population begin to be
impacted by Omicron. This survey represents a snapshot of the wellbeing of seniors in early March 2022. Despite media
and Government communications that Omicron is less severe than Delta, more than half of seniors in the survey said they
are still very worried about becoming infected with Covid-19.
Globally, seniors have been the hardest hit by Covid-19. Like many other nations, multiple lockdowns and Covid-19
spreading rapidly in the community has meant many seniors in New Zealand have had to frequently hide themselves away
from their communities as Covid-19 passes through. ACWR’s survey results have shown that this is still the case. If
seniors leave the house, it is most likely to be for groceries or to tend to health needs.
With 400 respondents, the survey represents approximately 1% of the entire senior population of the Wellington Region.
"Beginning to lose some of my confidence, unsure about going places," commented one of the survey respondents. “[I] just
wish all this was over…, just miss all the socialising,” said another.
One of the surprising trends that emerged from this survey is that older seniors aged 80+ are slightly less anxious than
those aged 65 – 79. There is a noticeable collective trend among older seniors of being less concerned about getting
sick, less worried about going out and less likely to stay at home as much as possible.
Respondent comments highlighted that isolation for some is compounding the difficulties caused by the pandemic. One
respondent sums this up particularly well: “For people like myself, living alone, with my family living overseas, there
have been a few times when I would have appreciated a helping hand but of course my friends are of a similar age and
need to look after themselves. Sometimes I'd just love a little pat on the back for coping so well with my home, garden
and self.”