Mutant strain means majority of elderly in Wales will be ‘home alone’ for Christmas

MORE THAN HALF OF UK’S ELDERLY POPULATION WILL BE ‘HOME ALONE’ THIS CHRISTMAS – 55% of over 80s are currently living alone

As the UK’s devolved governments prepare to temporarily relax their Covid restrictions in order to allow people from different households to form ‘Christmas bubbles’ between 23^rd and 27^th December, new research by Quotezone.co.uk reveals that 55% of over 80s currently live alone, suggesting that many of the most vulnerable people in the UK may end up spending most or all of Christmas home alone.

While people have generally welcomed the government’s introduction of short-term ‘bubbles’ for the festive period, and anyone who was previously shielding is permitted to join a Christmas bubble, the plan has been accompanied by government warnings advising people to keep a distance from elderly relatives as much as possible, particularly if those relatives are considered ‘high-risk’.

Quotezone.co.uk’s data also revealed that the risk of social isolation for older people this Christmas is likely to be more pronounced in some areas than others, with 62% of over 80s in the North East of England living alone, compared to the national average of 55%. Wales and Scotland also have higher than average figures, with 57% and 56% of over 80s living alone in those regions respectively.

All three of these regions are currently dealing with tier 3 or tier 4 restrictions, which in most cases bans people from different households from mixing indoors or in private gardens. That will change temporarily during the ‘Christmas bubble’ period, but some of the most vulnerable may decide not to form one of these bubbles due the risk they could pose.

The findings are based on a sample of over 350,000 home insurance policies collated over the last two years – analysed to reveal the country’s highest concentrations of single person households.

Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, comments: “When we analysed our data we realised that the demographic with the highest concentration of single-person households is the over 80s. With many of these older people having to self-isolate due to their elevated risks associated with contracting Covid-19, many over 80s are likely to be spending most or all of Christmas home alone this year.

“The Christmas season normally sees a spike in burglaries due to the darker winter nights and the increased value of items on your property, such as gifts.  People who do live alone can add additional security features like alarms and outdoor motion sensor lights, in addition to ensuring they have suitable home insurance in place.

“By contrast, the social isolation that this festive season could bring for many older people isn’t so straightforward. While the introduction of Christmas bubbles will be a welcome relief for people who aren’t classed as high risk, for the country’s most vulnerable people festive gatherings might have to be replaced with festive phone calls or video calls this year.”

This winter Quotezone.co.uk will be donating £15,000 across three UK charities – one of which is Age UK, a leading UK charity that works hard to support older communities with issues such as loneliness and fuel poverty.

Quotezone.co.uk is one of the UK’s largest home insurance comparison websites, with up to 50 home insurance providers specialising in products such as building and contents insurance, flat roof home insurance and flood risk home insurance.