Profiles of socially isolated community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent class analysis

Background and Objectives People aged 65 and over, deemed most “vulnerable” by public health, were targeted by the COVID-19 protection measures which sought to minimize physical contact and social activities. Older adults living alone were particularly impacted by these measures. However, such measures meant to protect the older population may not have necessarily reflected older adults’ individual prioritization choices. This study therefore aimed to understand how protecting oneself over the virus was considered in the prioritization of other health and social needs of older adults living alone during the pandemic. Research Design and Methods This study adopted a qualitative design. A total of 17 semi-structured interviews was conducted between May 2021 and June 2022 with older adults living alone. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A reflexive thematic analysis as defined by Braun and Clarke (2018, 2019) was performed. Results Our analysis showed two forms of prioritization across two themes. This first theme focused on participants who reported prioritizing protecting themselves over the virus by limiting in-person contact and activities. The second theme showed that although several participants reported that protecting themselves over the virus was important to them, the prioritization of this need was not shared by all and, in some cases, evolved over the course of the pandemic. Discussion and Implications Our study demonstrated heterogeneity in the prioritization of older adults needs. Future public health recommendations should consider these variations in the needs and priorities of older adults when determining public health measures.

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Daily Functional Characteristics and Health Among Older Adults During COVID-19: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Rosenblum,

Cohen Elimelech

2024

INQUIRY

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Within a few years, 1 in 6 people will be aged 60 years or older. Extreme situations, such as the COVID-19 crisis, constitute a challenge to older adults. However, the literature on the daily functional characteristics of older adults in the past and during the COVID-19 crisis and their relationships to their physical and mental health is scarce. This study aimed to examine the past and present daily functional factors associated with physical and mental health in older adults. Using an online platform, 204 Israelis aged 60 years and older reported their physical health symptoms and anxiety levels. They completed questionnaires about past (negative life events and childhood daily functional self-actualization) and present (adulthood daily functional self-actualization, functional cognition and sleep quality) factors. Structural equation modeling revealed correlations between functional cognition and childhood daily functional self-actualization (β = −.18) and anxiety (β = .15); adulthood daily functional self-actualization and past negative life events (β = −.18), anxiety (β = −.50), and physical symptoms (β = −16); and sleep quality and past childhood daily functional self-actualization (β = −.19), negative life events (β = .22), anxiety (β = .18), and physical symptoms (β = .40). These findings shed light on potential functional factors for older adults’ health, indicating that these functional factors play a vital role in reducing health problems in later life.

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Profiles of socially isolated community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent class analysis

Cited by 5 publications

References 38 publications

A global perspective on risk factors for social isolation in community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

A global perspective on risk factors for social isolation in community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Prioritizing Protecting Oneself Over the COVID-19 Virus Versus Other Health and Social Needs Among Older Adults Living Alone: A Qualitative Study

Daily Functional Characteristics and Health Among Older Adults During COVID-19: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

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