Contemplated senior woman sitting on wheelchair. Elderly disabled female is looking through window.

Cocooning, the practice of staying home and avoiding social interaction, is a natural reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, it may be detrimental to the physical and mental health of seniors aged 70 years and older who haven’t contracted the virus, according to a study published by researchers from Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) and St. James’s Hospital, also in Dublin.

Their findings, published in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine, show the following:

• Almost 40% of participants reported that their mental health was worse or much worse since the start of cocooning.

• More than 57% of participants reported loneliness while cocooning

• More than 40% of participants reported a decline in their physical health since cocooning

• More than 60% of participants agree with the government advice regarding cocooning

Dr. Laura Bailey, specialist registrar in geriatric medicine at St. James’s Hospital, and first author of the study said, “It is a particular worry that 1 in 6 older people who were acutely unwell did not seek medical attention, often for fear of contracting COVID-19. We must give a clear message to older people that when you are unwell that you should seek medical attention and that   hospitals and general practices have appropriate infection control practices in place to deal with non-COVID-19 related medical issues.”