Touch is vital to human connection from birth to old age, playing a role in communicating, nurturing, and helping one another. Yet, even before the pandemic, there were some reports that half a million older people in the UK can go at least five days a week without touching another person.
People living alone reported wanting more touch during the pandemic than people who were cohabiting. ‘My mental health had never been worse,’ says Jane, a university student who spent much of the pandemic-related lockdowns living away from home with
