The effects of social isolation during COVID-19 on retirees aged seventy-five and older
Date
2023
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Social isolation is believed to have a negative impact on mental and physical health. COVID-19 provided an opportunity to observe how the elderly, considered a vulnerable population, dealt with the deprivation of normal contacts. ☐ The older adult population has been identified as a cohort in particular need of social connectedness to maintain good health (Yang et al., 2016). As one ages, there is a loss of contacts due to retirement, the deaths of spouses and friends, and children living a great distance away. Seniors who live by themselves may experience another level of aloneness. Given the additional restriction of contacts during COVID-19, it was important to find out how this population, already considered more vulnerable, dealt with the heightened level of disconnectedness due to the pandemic. ☐ A post-retirement age group of subjects, aged seventy-five and older, was chosen to eliminate work contacts. Subjects also had to have lived alone during COVID-19, further limiting contacts, and suffered no traumatic life event (i.e., the death of a spouse) in the twelve months prior to March 2020, which might have skewed results. Thirteen subjects, ten women and three men, ranging in age from 78-96, were recruited by posting flyers (see Appendix) and through referrals. The subjects, all Caucasian, lived in the MidAtlantic states, U.S.A., primarily in Delaware. They consented to participate in a single, one-hour tape recorded interview with the author. This method was selected as preferable to phone interviews or mail-in questionnaires because it would feel more like a comfortable conversation, encouraging more openness and creating the space for volunteering additional information. ☐ A three-part questionnaire (see Appendix) provided a framework for the interviews, which were held from January 3, 2022 to June 3, 2022. The first section helped identify how their contact with family, friends, and neighbors changed due to COVID-19, and which of those contacts had been most rewarding. It also addressed in what ways contact was maintained. The second section dealt with practical matters like how they purchased groceries or managed medical/dental care. The third section addressed what self-knowledge had been gained as a result of dealing with the pandemic, what coping skills had been most useful, and was there anything they did that surprised them. Finally, they were invited to talk about anything they considered important about their experience that we had not touched on. ☐ Results of the study validated previous research by Baumeister and Leary (1995), and Lieberman (2013), noting the basic human need for social connectedness. In spite of COVID-19 restrictions, subjects maintained contact with others in-person, by phone and on Zoom or FaceTime. Contact with their kin, particularly female family members, stayed strong while contact with neighbors actually increased. Although often viewed as more vulnerable than people younger than them, a lifetime of previous mastery over challenges made these older adults adaptable and resilient. These results supported studies by Seery (2011) and Lind et al. (2020). This cohort is often viewed in a stereotypically disparaging way, which does not acknowledge that they are as heterogeneous as any other cohort (Gendron, 2022). Subjects in this study who selfidentified as introverts reported being less affected by the pandemic than those who were more extroverted. Some subjects felt they had developed additional self-knowledge and viresilience through dealing with the pandemic. This study provides examples of their successes, as well as their frustrations, in their own words. ☐ Older adults, particularly those seventy-five and older, are a growing cohort in our society. Four generation families are no longer unusual. Future research is essential to dispel stereotypical views of this population, and to update the needs of a population that is healthier, more active and living long
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Keywords
Aging, Coping, COVID-19, Family issues, Living alone, Older adults