The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vulnerable Older Adults in the United States

Lee, Yeonjung Jane

doi:10.1080/01634372.2020.1777240

Cited by 40 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Older adults (i.e., individuals aged 65 or older) have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in several ways, leading some scholars to define it a "geriatric health emergency" [1][2][3][4]. Older age is associated with more severe courses of COVID-19, hospitalization, need of a ventilator to support breathing, intensive care, and mortality [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lived experiences of older adults during the first COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative study

et al. 2021

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Background and aim Public health measures used to mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic may have unintended, detrimental consequences particularly on older adults, whose voices and perspectives are often silent or silenced. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of individuals aged 64 or older during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Methods We conducted a qualitative study in a convenience sample of 19 older adults (aged 64+) living at home in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland during the first COVID-19 lockdown, between April and May 2020. Participants varied in terms of gender, education, age, nationality, and socio-economic status. We conducted semi-structured phone interviews to elicit emotions, expectations and hopes in relation to the present situation, and the post-pandemic world. We inquired about opinions on the enforced public health measures, including those specifically targeting older adults, and on the societal portrayal of older adults. Findings We found that the epidemic and the public health response to it had both generated a variety of resentments and a high degree of ambivalence at the individual, micro-, meso- and macro-social levels. We also found that labelling older adults as an at-risk sub-population inevitably contributed to public and self-stigmatization. Discussion We conducted an in-depth qualitative investigation of lived experiences of older adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in one of the most gravely hit region in Europe. Our findings on the complexity of unintended, detrimental consequences of outbreak responses on older adults have relevant implications for local adaptions of public health measures, and suggest that public health authorities should engage vulnerable sub-populations and promote bi-directional communication to inform and support communities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lived experiences of older adults during the first COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative study

et al. 2021

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“…Although studies already addressed the older population in the COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions of social isolation in their health (Levi-Belz & Aisenberg, 2020), few researchers have addressed this issue from a qualitative perspective (Lee, 2020;Xie et al, 2020). Up to this point, no other study analyzed, from a broader perspective, the repercussions of the isolation, taking into account the different cultures and societies, as is the case of older adults who live in different countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions, feelings, and the routine of older adults during the isolation period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study in four countries

Gonçalves

Barcelos

Duarte

et al. 2021

Aging & Mental Health

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Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, routine, and perception of older adults from four countries about dealing with COVID-19 in the social isolation period. Methods: Qualitative study with semistructured interviews. Older persons (60 years old), who lived in the urban centers of four different countries (Brazil, United States, Italy, and Portugal), were asked about the changes experienced during the pandemic, new habits or restrictions during isolation, sources of social and emotional support, and their knowledge about COVID-19 pandemic. Data was transcribed, codified, and submitted to content analysis. Results: Twenty-five older persons (10 from Brazil, 5 from Italy, 5 from Portugal, and 5 from the United States) were interviewed. Participants reported feeling restricted in their daily life activities and emotional instability. Described adaptations in habits, coping strategies, and greater understanding of the diseased based on information available in the media. There was homogeneity in the statements of the elderly, showing that the pandemic affected them in a similar way, even though they lived in different cultures and contexts. Conclusion: The social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic changed the structure for the performance of many occupations, having an impact in the perception social participation and wellbeing of elders. This data can aid health professionals to outline strategies to deal with the impact of the social isolation in older persons.

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“…Studies from Korea and the Netherlands have shown that strong isolation measures and social distancing have a significant negative impact on the lifestyles of older adults [ 22 , 23 ]. If older DHH individuals are unable to successfully communicate externally during the social isolation of a COVID pandemic, they may not only be unable to access the latest information about the pandemic and deepen their adaptive difficulties in daily life, but also be unable to secure the same medical entitlements as the general population [ 4 , 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

External Communication Barriers among Elderly Deaf and Hard of Hearing People in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Isolation: A Qualitative Study

Yan

Zhao

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great risk to older people with hearing impairment, who face a higher threshold of external communication after the implementation of the emergency isolation policy. As part of a study on the optimization of external communication among the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) population in central China, this study employed a qualitative research method based on in-depth interviews to explore the needs and difficulties faced by the older DHH group in external communication during public health emergencies in Wuhan, China, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that older DHH people had weak reception of critical information about the epidemic, and had suboptimal access to medical care during emergency quarantine, which increased interpersonal communication barriers to this group. The current findings highlight the urgent need for targeted strengthening of the original emergency communication and coordination mechanisms in public health emergencies, and for improving policy inclusiveness for older DHH individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic and emergencies alike.

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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vulnerable Older Adults in the United States

Cited by 40 publications

References 3 publications

Lived experiences of older adults during the first COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative study

Lived experiences of older adults during the first COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative study

Perceptions, feelings, and the routine of older adults during the isolation period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study in four countries

External Communication Barriers among Elderly Deaf and Hard of Hearing People in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Isolation: A Qualitative Study

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