Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as perceived by older people in Northern Spain

Abstract

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on people’s lives at all levels. This qualitative study is concerned with exploring the perspective of people over 67 years of age in relation to the changes experienced in their lives, the perception of the treatment of older adults during the pandemic, their attitude towards tackling the situation resulting from the pandemic, and their expectations for the future. Methods: Qualitative methodology was used. A total of 26 participants completed semi-structured interviews. An inductive approach was applied and five main themes emerged from the participants’ discourses: lifestyle, health, social relations, older people and confinement, or pandemic. Results: The pandemic has only partially disrupted participants’ learning and participation activities. In some cases, they reported having experienced mild physical and psychological symptoms and missing physical contact. However, they have been able to recognize certain positive aspects of the confinement and value the use of technology as a means of maintaining relationships and learning. Although their adaptive skills are clear, they perceive positive and negative discrimination in relation to age. Conclusion: It is concluded that the perception of vulnerability that we have towards older people is erroneous, since they have been shown to have the capacity to display resilience and strength in the face of adversity.