Older people find connections and meaning in their communities and are resilient during a pandemic

According to a recent study by Oregon State University, older people were heavily affected by isolation and stress during Oregon’s first COVID-19 lockdown last spring, but communities, new hobbies, time connections and implications. I was also able to find.

Researchers said that when resilience was understood as the ability to see positives in negative situations, many of the study participants showed resilience in the meantime.

We often consider resilience to be a characteristic of personality, but it is true that there are some qualities that can help people experience it. But after all, resilience is shared. One of the things that came out of our research was the degree to which people’s connections were really important... “

Heidi Igarashi, First Author of Research, Faculty of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University and Recent PhD

Studies published in Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, We surveyed 235 adults between the ages of 51 and 95 for their experience from April 28 to May 4, 2020, when the Oregon-wide stay-at-home order had been in effect for about a month.

An online survey asked participants about recent and ongoing life difficulties caused by COVID-19 and recent positive experiences.

People shared their experiences at the personal, interpersonal and social levels. Personal difficulties included constant vigilance stress in ensuring safety in daily activities, as well as fear of death and uncertainty about the future. Interpersonal challenges included social isolation, lack of physical contact, and fears of the health of loved ones. Social stressors focused on lack of scientific leadership and concerns about the community as a whole.

Although 94% of participants cited difficulties, about 63% shared positive experiences. At the personal level, these included trying out new projects such as gardening and cooking, and growing appreciation for a simpler and slower life. The joy of interpersonal relationships was seen in new friendships, reunions with old friends, and those who care for each other. At the social level, some have pointed out the environmental benefits of reducing driving and the growing sense of community solidarity.

Co-authors Carolyn Aldwin and Jo Anne Leonard Endaud said that older people are relieved to see their neighbors and friends caring for each other, while at the same time caring for their friends and neighbors themselves and masking. We have increased the resilience of the community by participating in group initiatives such as sewing drives. Director of the Center for Healthy Aging Research at OSU.

“It’s a mistake to think of older people as victims of COVID,” Aldwyn said. “They are far more resilient than we think and are important to the community.”

Many of the survey respondents made zoom calls with family and friends, enjoyed spending time in nature, and eventually finished the project sitting in the closet or garage.

Retired people struggled more than those employed because the blockade disrupted their daily lives, including closing regular volunteer opportunities due to the high risk of older people. However, some respondents report that they are reassured that they can focus on themselves for change, such as in pursuit of meditation and journaling, rather than spending all their time caring for others. did.

This survey was conducted via an internet survey and affected the response rate. The majority of participants are white, female, retired, highly educated, in contrast to the racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups most affected by COVID-19 infection and death, the researchers said. Stated.

However, Aldwin pays attention to the assumptions about resilience between underprivileged groups. They may have experienced more loss and financial distress, but an important element of resilience is the ability to find the purpose of life that can arise by helping others.

“Our research group often didn’t have these demands, and they felt a lack of sense of meaning, there is this meaning seen in long-term care, the reason for living,” she said. “If you’re the one who puts the family together during this crisis, that’s the source of meaning. Obviously, we’ve seen more losses and more difficulties, but the recovery we didn’t see. You may have seen the source of power. Research group. “