Older Adults’ Understanding of COVID-19 and Successful Aging: An Application of CEMSA to Ghana and Uganda

Abstract

COVID-19 heightened the uncertainty of aging, mainly because older adults were considered most vulnerable to the virus's effects. This study utilized the Communicative Ecology Model of Successful Aging (CEMSA) as a framework to understand the intersection of aging, COVID-19, and communication. In-depth interviews were conducted to explore the nuanced accounts given by fourteen eligible participants from Ghana and Uganda to understand their communicative practices about successful aging during COVID-19. Findings revealed that expressing optimism about aging, planning for future care needs, self-categorization as old, or attributing behavior to old age, and using emerging communication technologies to foster engagement with friends and loved ones are crucial aspects of older adults’ communication around successful aging during the pandemic. The study also extended CEMSA to the African context and introduced faith as a new element that influenced how older adults communicate about successful aging that the model had not previously accounted for.