The toll of COVID-19 on elderly Canadians: Loneliness during the holiday season

 

COVID-19 has forced many family members to end visits to parents and grandparents or stop visiting older loved ones at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Traditionally, the holiday season is a festive time of the year when people gather with family and friends, but the pandemic has forced many of these traditions to come to a halt. 

How will Canada’s elderly population escape the social isolation caused by COVID-19? Are there other ways they can fight loneliness during the holiday season when they would normally carry out cheerful traditions with family?

CIHR-funded researchers are available to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the elderly population in Canada and suggest steps that can be taken to prevent family members from feeling loneliness during the holiday season:

• Dr. Laurette Dubé, McGill University
• Dr. Jennifer Bethell, University Health Network

To book an interview, please contact:

David Coulombe

Media Relations

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

613-941-4563

[email protected]

At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada’s health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca

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