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Not only did gyms, yoga studios, pools, adult day programs, community and senior centers remain closed for a long time; many older people may also have taken on less mundane chores and errands and skipped pastimes.

“If you’re restricting market visits or delivering groceries, or if you’re not going to visit or help your grandchildren, meeting friends at a coffee shop – all of which requires a certain level of physical activity.” Beauchamp said.

Many older people traveled less or shopped in person; religious services, family gatherings, and medical appointments moved online. Dr. “Imagine how many activities we do without thinking about it,” Hoffman said. When that changes significantly, “collapses for six or nine months, then you have a loss of balance or muscle strength, which leads to more stumbling and falling.”

Inequalities in health and income also appear to play a role; with reduced physical conditioning and mobility more commonly reported by respondents in low-income categories, in moderate or poor health, or with more than one chronic condition in both countries.

“Relatively healthy older adults have adequate reserves if they reduce activity,” said geriatrician Neil Alexander of the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs, who was not involved in the study. “High risk people may be using these numbers.”

Dr. Alexander also noted that in the early part of the pandemic, older patients had less access to rehabilitation and other services. “It was difficult to get people home for occupational therapy and physical therapy,” he said. “Support services have been interrupted to keep people mobile and functional.” Now, labor shortages could have a similar effect, he said.

Physical function is the key to independent living – the future that the vast majority of seniors envision for themselves. Loss of mobility and function in a significant proportion of the older population can mean increased disability, greater need for eventual long-term care, and higher Medicare and Medicaid costs.