535 - Loneliness and social isolation in attendees of a Psychiatry of Old Age Service in the North West of Ireland: preliminary findings of a cross-sectional study during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Aims and HypothesisThe primary aim is to establish the prevalence of loneliness and social isolation in older adults referred to a Psychiatry of Old-Age Service in the North-West of Ireland. Secondary aims include exploring associations between loneliness, social isolation and, well-being, depression, cognition and health- status. The overarching aim was to improve patient outcomes by tailoring mental health and social interventions appropriate to patient need.BackgroundLoneliness is a discrepancy between the social-relations one has and their desired level. It is estimated that one third of older adults will experience loneliness, which along with social isolation has links to poorer health-outcomes, reduced quality of life and cognitive decline. Government advice in Ireland to reduce social activity due to COVID-19 pandemic may compound social disconnection. We present preliminary findings of an ongoing study investigating loneliness, social isolation and related factors in older adults referred to a Mental-Health Service in the North-West of Ireland in 2020 - 2021.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional study design, participants completed University of California, Los-Angeles(UCLA) Loneliness Scale (UCLA maximum score =10); and Berkman-Syme Social Network Index. Quality of life is measured using WHO-Well-being Index(WHO-5) with a number of relevant personal, clinical and social factors also captured.ResultsData from 98 questionnaires (January 2020- May 2021), 52% female, showed average participant age was 74.4 years. Average perceived loneliness score was 3.67 and 85.7%, (n=84) reported some loneliness (UCLA >0) with 2% (n=2) reporting high loneliness levels (UCLA =10). The majority, 77.5% (n=76) were socially isolated; 35.7% (n=35) ‘mostly isolated’, 41.8% (n=41) ‘moderately isolated’. Females were noted to be more isolated.ConclusionsPreliminary results illustrate majority of older adults referred to a mental-health service over a time- period spanning COVID-19 pandemic are lonely and socially isolated. This is likely compounded by changes to daily routines during COVID-19 pandemic. This is concerning given the adverse health implications. We hope final results will guide enhancement of clinical-care through linkage of mental- health services with community agencies, social-care supports and e-health technologies.

The ‘Recusancy Revolt’ of 1603 Revisited, Popular Politics, and Civic Catholicism in Early Modern Ireland

This article contributes to a body of work exploring the possibilities of a popular politics in Ireland before the rising of 1641. It does so by revisiting the ‘recusancy revolt’ of 1603 in which, in the interregnum created by Elizabeth I's death, churches and civic space in towns in the south and west of Ireland were reoccupied for Catholic worship. Reading for meaning in the shaping and timing of the crowd rituals at the heart of the protest, the article argues that Old English elites and people physically acted out the recovery of these spaces for the public performance of a civic Catholicism, in which corporate worship was integral both to the maintenance of the civic order and to the defence of ancient liberties and freedoms against the encroachments of an anglicizing and Protestant regime. Analysing the dynamics of these confessional protests, the article assesses the potential for an active citizenry represented by popular political mobilization in 1603 and contrasts this with later popular mobilization in the 1641 rising. It explores the paradox at the heart of a protest in which it was believed that the restoration of public Catholic worship could co-exist with continuing civic loyalty to an English and Protestant monarchy.