1
|
Tuominen K, Pirhonen J, Lumme-Sandt K, Ahosola P, Pietilä I. No place to go? Older people reconsidering the meaning of social spaces in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Aging Stud 2023; 67:101167. [PMID: 38012938 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaging.2023.101167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Under COVID-19 restrictions, older people were advised to avoid social contact and to self-isolate at home. The situation forced them to reconsider their everyday social spaces such as home and leisure time places. This study approached the meaning of social spaces for older people by examining how older people positioned themselves in relation to social spaces during the pandemic. The data were drawn from the Ageing and social well-being (SoWell) research project at Tampere University, Finland, and they consisted of phone interviews collected during the summer of 2020 with 31 older persons aged 64-96 years. The data were analysed using the frameworks of positioning analysis and environmental positioning. Results showed the positions of older people being manifold, flexible and even contradictory. Within home, the participants portrayed themselves as restricted due to limited social contact, but also as able to adapt to and content being alone. Virtual spaces were depicted as spaces for younger and healthy persons, and the participants themselves as sceptical technology users not satisfied with technology-mediated interaction. Within an assisted living facility, the participants described themselves as sensible and responsible persons who wanted to follow the facility's pandemic-related rules but also as independent persons having nothing to do with these rules. In the spaces outside the home, the participants portrayed themselves as persons who followed pandemic instructions but also as persons who were not required to follow the instructions because they could use their own judgement. These self-positions shed light on the social needs of older people in the spaces of their everyday lives. Our results provide useful insights for policy makers and professionals working with older people and will help to promote spaces of living, care and everyday life that can enhance and maintain social interaction and well-being both in times of change and in more stable times.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katariina Tuominen
- Tampere University, Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare), Faculty of Social Sciences, P.O. Box 100, 33014, Finland.
| | - Jari Pirhonen
- University of Helsinki, Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare), Faculty of Social Sciences, P.O. Box 54, 00014, Finland.
| | - Kirsi Lumme-Sandt
- Tampere University, Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare), Faculty of Social Sciences, P.O. Box 100, 33014, Finland.
| | - Päivi Ahosola
- Tampere University, Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare), Faculty of Social Sciences, P.O. Box 100, 33014, Finland.
| | - Ilkka Pietilä
- University of Helsinki, Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare), Faculty of Social Sciences, P.O. Box 54, 00014, Finland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ervasti K, Kotkas T, Issakainen M, Teiska M, Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen A. In the Shadow of COVID-19: The Well-Being and Rights of People Living with Dementia in Finland During the Pandemic. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 92:1473-1485. [PMID: 36911938 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exceptional circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic increase the risk for vulnerability among people living with dementia. OBJECTIVE This article discusses the well-being and rights of people living with dementia in Finland during the pandemic and analyses the legal framework covering the restrictions of their rights during that period. METHODS The empirical research comprises a survey of persons with dementia (n = 31) and their family members (n = 168). The participants completed a total of 13 survey items involving questions about their well-being during the pandemic, restrictions on freedom, access to services, information on pandemic regulations and guidelines as well as possible problems with authorities. The survey included both multiple choice and open-ended questions. RESULTS According to people with dementia and their family members, by spring 2021, the pandemic had reduced meaningful activities available to people living with dementia in Finland and decreased the number of meetings between them and other people. Many reported a decline in their physical and/or mental well-being or greater difficulty or delays in accessing social and health services. Over a third of respondents found that the right to meet people was restricted among people with dementia, and almost half of the respondents took the view that their freedom of movement was restricted. There were also major shortcomings in terms of information on restrictions. CONCLUSION The results highlight the importance of bearing in mind the negative effects that restrictions on mobility, meeting other people and meaningful activities can have on the well-being of people living with dementia. This should be considered, for example, when reforming legislation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaijus Ervasti
- Law School, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Toomas Kotkas
- Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Vasara P, Simola A, Olakivi A. The trouble with vulnerability. Narrating ageing during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Aging Stud 2023; 64:101106. [PMID: 36868618 PMCID: PMC9852302 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaging.2023.101106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we have used the exceptional circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic as a window for investigating the ambivalent, stereotypical and often-incongruent portrayals of exceptional vulnerability and resilient self-management that define the self-constructions available for older adults. From the onset of the pandemic, older adults were publicly and homogenously presented as a biomedically vulnerable population, and the implementation of restrictive measures also raised concerns over their psychosocial vulnerability and wellbeing. Meanwhile, the key political responses to the pandemic in most affluent countries aligned with the dominant paradigms of successful and active ageing that build on the ideal of resilient and responsible ageing subjects. Within this context, in our paper we have examined how older individuals negotiated such conflicting characterisations in relation to their self-understandings. In empirical terms, we drew on data comprising written narratives collected in Finland during the initial stage of the pandemic. We demonstrate how the stereotypical and ageist connotations associated with older adults' psychosocial vulnerability may have paradoxically offered some older adults novel building blocks for positive self-constructions as individuals who are not exceptionally vulnerable, despite ageist assumptions of homogeneity. However, our analysis also shows that such building blocks are not equally distributed. Our conclusions highlight the lack of legitimate ways for people to admit to vulnerabilities and voice their needs without the fear of being categorised under ageist, othering and stigmatised identities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paula Vasara
- Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care, University of Jyväskylä, Finland; Tampere University, Finland.
| | - Anna Simola
- Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care, University of Helsinki, Finland; IACCHOS, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
| | - Antero Olakivi
- Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care, University of Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Costenoble A, De Baets S, Knoop V, Debain A, Bautmans I, Verté D, Gorus E, De Vriendt P. The impact of covid-19 lockdown on the Quality of life, meaningful activities, and frailty in community-dwelling octogenarians: A study in Belgium. Aging Ment Health 2022:1-9. [PMID: 36415888 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2145457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on quality of life (QoL), meaningful daily activities, and (pre)frailty in community-dwelling octogenarians. METHODS Cross-sectional design with bivariate and multiple linear regression modeling using a stepwise approach examining the level of QoL during the COVID-19 lockdown in a group of 215 community-dwelling octogenarians (Mage = 86.49 ± 3.02). A comprehensive set of biopsychosocial variables (FRAIL scale, general health, engagement in meaningful activities survey, questions on loneliness, and feelings) were used as explaining variables. RESULTS Particularly, a decrease in daily activities, social activities, and an increase in free times activities were observed, but the decrease in QoL could be explained by the meaningfulness in activities, together with experiencing emptiness in life, taking ≥ 4 medications a day and feeling down or depressed. CONCLUSIONS We tried to understand which components contribute to and might affect a person's QoL caused by restrictions imposed by the governance and its influence on the lives of the community-dwelling octogenarians. As such, this output could be a baseline for the development of minimally impacting countermeasures during future lockdowns. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Studying lifestyle changes and thus also variables related to QoL during a pandemic, may support policymakers and practitioners to develop relevant interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Axelle Costenoble
- Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) research department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Gerontology department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stijn De Baets
- Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) research department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Gerontology department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Occupational Therapy research group, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Veerle Knoop
- Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) research department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Gerontology department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,SOMT University of Physiotherapy, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
| | - Aziz Debain
- Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) research department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Gerontology department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Geriatrics department, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ivan Bautmans
- Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) research department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Gerontology department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Geriatrics department, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dominique Verté
- Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) research department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Belgian Ageing Studies research group, VUB, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ellen Gorus
- Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) research department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Gerontology department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Geriatrics department, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Patricia De Vriendt
- Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) research department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Gerontology department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Artevelde University of Applied Sciences, Ghent, Belgium
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Leinonen E. Everyday life and the new shapes of identities – The different meanings of ‘things that did not happen’ in the lives of Finnish older persons during the pandemic. J Aging Stud 2022; 62:101052. [PMID: 36008025 PMCID: PMC9351390 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaging.2022.101052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives in many ways since the end of 2019. This paper investigates the everyday lives of Finnish older persons during the first three months of the pandemic when they were required to stay in “quarantine-like conditions.” The study utilises the ‘sociology of nothing’ in exploring the meanings of nothingness in the everyday lives of older people; that is, the things, events and people that were absent from their lives because of the pandemic. The main interest of the article is to reverse the typical analytical focus from ‘things that happened’ to ‘things that did not happen’ and to shed light on the experiences and descriptions of older persons' unlived lives. The article presents empirical findings from written letters collected between April and June 2020 from persons aged 70 or over (n = 77). The letters were analysed with theory-driven content analysis. The paper suggests that the unlived life; that is, not having, not being and not doing, generated feelings of otherness from the social world, but also freedom from obligations. Furthermore, the present article gives a sense of how old age is depicted in Finnish society and by the older persons themselves.
Collapse
|
6
|
Viklund EWE, Forsman AK. Exploring the Nuanced Links Between Internet Use and Subjective Well-Being Among Older Adults: A Nordic Population-Based Study. Front Psychol 2022; 12:797269. [PMID: 35153921 PMCID: PMC8835563 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.797269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim The aim was to explore the various associations between subjective well-being and internet use among older adults in two regions in Finland and Sweden. Methods The data was collected through a population-based survey (N = 9,386) as part of the GERDA project conducted in 2016. The connection between subjective well-being (measured by perceived meaningfulness, happiness and life satisfaction) and internet use (distinguishing between internet users, non-users and users with support, and diverse internet activities) was studied by conducting binary regression analyses, calculating odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. The analyses also controlled for key subjective well-being covariates. Results Statistically significant associations were found between perceived life meaningfulness and internet use. When looking into the specific internet-based activities under study, activities related to leisure and entertainment showed statistically significant associations to perceived meaningfulness as well as perceived happiness, also after controlling for potential covariates. However, internet use and the different internet activities failed to show statistical significant associations to life satisfaction in the adjusted regression model. Conclusion The things we do on the internet (the activities) as well as how we conceptualize and measure subjective well-being in this type of research studies seem to matter when it comes to the relationship between subjective well-being and internet use in later life. Internet use and internet activities displayed various connections to the subjective well-being proxies used in this study. Therefore, the complexity and multidimensionality of both subjective well-being and internet use and related links need to be carefully explored in order to deepen our understanding of experienced well-being among older adults in a digitized world.
Collapse
|
7
|
Kulmala J, Tiilikainen E, Lisko I, Ngandu T, Kivipelto M, Solomon A. Personal Social Networks of Community-Dwelling Oldest Old During the Covid-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Study. Front Public Health 2022; 9:770965. [PMID: 35004583 PMCID: PMC8739883 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.770965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions have affected the everyday life of older people. Advanced age is a significant predisposing factor for a more severe COVID-19 infection, increasing the risk for hospitalization and mortality. Even though restrictions have been, thus, well-grounded, they may also have had detrimental effects on the social well-being of older people. Personal networks and social activity are known protective factors against the premature decline in health and functioning, and it is widely acknowledged that social isolation increases feelings of loneliness, poor quality of life, and even the risk for diseases and disabilities among older adults. This qualitative study investigated changes in personal networks among community-dwelling oldest-old individuals (persons aged 80 and over) during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland. The data is part of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE85+) study, which is an ongoing large longitudinal population-based study in Finland. In this qualitative sub-study, we analyzed fifteen in-depth telephone interviews using directed content analyses and identified five types of changes in personal social networks during the pandemic. In type 1, all social contacts were significantly reduced due to official recommendations and fear of the virus. Type 2 included modified ways of being socially active i.e., by deploying new technology, and in type 3, social contacts increased during the lockdown. In type 4, personal social networks were changed unexpectedly or dramatically due to a death of a spouse, for example. In type 5, we observed stable social networks, which had not been affected by the pandemic. At an individual level, one person could have had different types of changes during the pandemic. These results highlight the heterogeneity of the oldest olds' personal social networks and changes related to them during the exceptional times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social activity and personal networks play an important role in the well-being of the oldest old, but individual situations, needs, and preferences toward personal social networks should be taken into account when planning social activities, policies, and interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jenni Kulmala
- Faculty of Social Sciences (Health Sciences) and Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.,Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Population Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elisa Tiilikainen
- Department of Social Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Inna Lisko
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Tiia Ngandu
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Population Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miia Kivipelto
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Population Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.,Ageing Epidemiology Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Clinical Trials Unit, Theme Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.,Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Helsinki, Finland.,Neurocenter, Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Alina Solomon
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Koskinen VK, Leinonen EA. Leisure Adjustments of Older Finnish Adults during the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF LEISURE 2022. [PMCID: PMC9257554 DOI: 10.1007/s41978-022-00113-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
The current approach to “aging well” emphasizes the importance of active leisure participation in late adulthood. This relates to the view that leisure activities enable older adults to stay physically, mentally, and socially active, and they thereby contribute to wellbeing. In spring 2020, leisure activity engagement was significantly hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores leisure-related experiences and adaptation strategies among Finnish older adults during the period of strict physical distancing. The data comprises letters (N = 77) written by Finnish people (aged 70–93) that were analyzed using content analysis. The study suggests that the reorganization of leisure was particularly influenced by the social significance of leisure activities, the age identities of the participants, and the prevailing ideals of active aging. The paper introduces three strategies of leisure adjustment: building new routines, maintaining activeness, and enjoying slow leisure. The article highlights the importance of investing in older adults’ leisure participation in the aftercare of the pandemic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veera K. Koskinen
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emilia A. Leinonen
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| |
Collapse
|