Data was collected using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were conducted over the telephone as a safety precaution against COVID-19.

The interviews covered emotions older adults had felt during the pandemic; the impact of being required to stay at home, and the effects of loneliness and isolation; understanding what contact and support participants had received from friends, family, local charities and local authorities; how access to care and treatment had been affected; what coping mechanisms people had discovered; and how it had felt to be classed as vulnerable in law and public discourse. Participants had the opportunity during an earlier stage of the study to contribute to the topics covered in the interview guide used for all participants.

Participants for this study were recruited through a charity that supports older adults. A purposive sample was selected by the charity to ensure diversity in gender and ethnicity, although there was less representation from older adults of colour than hoped.

The sample had a median age of 70 and age range of 69-89. Four participants identified as female and three as male. Five participants identified as White British, one White Irish and one Black African.