What is reason for rise in cases in over 60’s?

[Watermelon999]

In our area this has really risen and obviously leads to more hospitalisations and more poorly patients, with rise in itu admissions.

What is the reason for this?

Is it the result of people still seeing family? Or family providing childcare? (I know some will still be working themselves).

It's because it's impossible to completely isolate from society, particularly if you're older as you are more likely to need personal care and medical attention.

Shopping, working, going to the doctors, getting on a bus, going to a pub , living , loving

Many over 60s are in work, and I suspect a lot of so-called covid secure workplaces really aren't.

There are rises in all,age groups, and I think the underlying message is that current hygiene and distancing measures are not sufficient unless applied extremely diligently.

@whyamidoingtgistomyself

Shopping, working, going to the doctors, getting on a bus, going to a pub , living , loving

Those activities are not all of equal risk. You simply can’t equate shopping, with most / all people I n masks, with going to a pub...

Partly because they’re still working and out and about. I suspect it’s also because of what we read here all the time: “grandparents refuse to be separated again from DGC” / “we know the risks and are happy with them” / “they don’t want to place their lives on hold”. Which is fine but clearly that’s leading to increased hospitalizations and deaths.

And then there are also signs that care home deaths are on the rise again so clearly it’s making its way there too.

I've seen plenty over 60s out in pubs and restaurants, and at the gym. I've saw two women I'd guess to be in their 70s getting changed in the gym the other day and having a natter, standing right next to each other, one then whispering something in the other's ear, touching her. I think some older people are crap at social distancing and maybe being older find it hard to get used to different ways of interacting. Plus a lot of older people live alone which makes isolation pretty grim.

Seeing family.

Maybe they were partners or lived together/ in a support bubble. Most people are not that crap at social distancing.

I didn't say they were equal risk, I said that's what people would be doing!

Why wouldn't an over 60 person go to the pub?

Many of the over 60s I know live on their own and so go pub to meet people
Once they get yo their 70's , many carry on living because who knows how long they have left, even without covid

Nice lot of stereotypes in that.

I'm sure we've all seen people of all ages breaking the rules it acting inadvisedly. Still wrong to label a whole generation as crap and suggest that they are inherently feeble minded.

@whyamidoingtgistomyself

I didn't say they were equal risk, I said that's what people would be doing!

Why wouldn't an over 60 person go to the pub?

Many of the over 60s I know live on their own and so go pub to meet people
Once they get yo their 70's , many carry on living because who knows how long they have left, even without covid

I know, but OP asked ‘why are over 60s getting it’, and it’s really not because they’re shopping.

What is the reason for the rise in cases for all age groups? You can't keep people hidden way forever, it's not the point of living. And I would say many 60-70 year olds are thinking with all the negative press that they may as well catch the virus now rather than a year or so down the line by which time they'll be at statistically more risk.

There is a quality/ quantity trade off that is more acute when you are older.

We lost my mum recently and I wished I had hugged her more and let her see her grandkids properly
on her last year. I can never get that time back.

I am now acutely aware that quality time with my dad might be limited too and whilst I certainly do not want him to get it and be ill or die equally pretty much the whole of last year was lost with no chance for happy family times and if that continues all of next year too that's a substantial portion of his remaining time. If he's on his own at home just existing unable to do anything he enjoys then that is pretty depressing and feels pointless.

There was a heartbreaking interview on R4 yesterday of a lady unable to visit her husband of 50 years with dementia in a care home. What kind of quality of life do either of them have without that? For many people in that situation death is not the worst thing that could happen.

There are many over 60s in work. It's under the retirement and pension age.

We have medical staff, teaching staff and a whole raft of other works, including in higher risk work places, in this category.

Dh walked pass local weatherspoons. A group of elderly men in it. Hard to believe they are from same household. We are in tier 3.

I think some older people may well feel it's worth taking the risks because they want to go to the pub or see their family/friends.

Childcare. I still see huge amounts of grandparents taking children to my kids primary school.

It's a personal risk assessment. Some older people are more cautious and risk averse, whereas others are happy to take some risks by continuing to see their grandchildren or meet friends at the pub. Some feel that they don't have that long to live left anyway.

My 78 year old parents, although healthy, are acutely aware they're in their twilight years, and don't want to spend what little time they have left hidden away and frightened. They're not doing anything particularly risky, but we've seen each other regularly throughout (after the first 3 months of lockdown anyway- no laws broken). I think they'd like to still be able to travel abroad though, don't blame them.

The same as the rest of society. The virus is infectious.

There is a difference between 60 and 78 though. If I was 60 I wouldn’t be thinking I only had a few years left if I was lucky.

My 78 year old parents, although healthy, are acutely aware they're in their twilight years,

It’s also the perfect age to become president of the US. I feel we give up on people too early in Britain.

When the virus is at large in the population the only way to avoid coming into contact with it is to isolate yourself. It was obvious that as cases started to rise in the community that this would increase everyone’s risk of catching it. Lots of people 60+ are working, many in essential occupations, and using public transport etc. It’s actually a really stupid question.

In some areas isn’t it this age group that have the highest rate.

Hard to know when you should start to think in that perspective though.

I think 60s is young and I'd like to think I'll still be carrying on as usual.
In your 70s things start to change. Many 70year olds are fit and well and have a good quality of life but it's not guaranteed. I see it in my parents and their friends that people start to get various illnesses, get frailer and more limited and some of them die.
In your 80s all bets are off and I would be expecting to die during that decade of my life. Surviving into your 90s isn't the norm and with good health and quality of life it's unusual.

I'm hoping to retire early if I can and start on my bucket list.
This might sound morbid and pessimistic but I recently lost my mum to cancer and she only just made 70 so it's brought it home to me very forcibly that our time is short and we need to make the most of it.

If I was in my 70s or 80s right now I might very well be thinking that I would trade quality for quantity (I wouldn't expect an ICU bed though I'd have an advance directive)

It could be spread from family if minding grandchildren in school or visiting as rule of 6 ( or ignoring rules etc), multi generational households. Lots of over 60s are in full time work, still use transport, shop, eat out.
I’ve seen groups of over 60s all around a table in restaurants obviously couples, in an area with no mixing inside. Some people choose to live and go out regardless of risk.