Abstract Background Social isolation among older adults raises major issues for equity in healthcare in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Main text This commentary describes current challenges in preventing social isolation among older adults and proposes pathways to develop inclusive approaches to intervention in this vulnerable population. Building interventions that take account of structural inequities among older persons, as well as their subjective experiences, expectations and perspectives, appears fundamental to improve their health and quality of life in pandemic and post-pandemic contexts. Conclusions We argue that equity-based and person-centered approaches are critical to counter the negative outcomes of social isolation in the vulnerable older population.