Situating the Pandemic in the Life-Course: Older Adults’ Perspectives on the Challenges and Positives of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Older adults experienced the highest rates of infections and deaths and significant social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. While these negative impacts are important to address, the positive outcomes among older adults during the pandemic are equally important. A survey was distributed to adults aged 65 or older living in St. Louis, Missouri from August 2020 through March 2021 to characterize the challenges and positives they found during the pandemic. A total of 103 older adults participated. Compared to previous times in their lives, a majority of participants felt the pandemic had been more disruptive (62%) and more confusing (78%) and a majority were more worried (58%) and more afraid of dying (53%) during the pandemic. The most common positives were increased emotional well-being (23% of responses) and stronger personal connections (20% of responses). This ability to identify positive outcomes of the pandemic demonstrates the resilience of older adults and counters the ageist narrative that dominated the dialogue early in the pandemic, which depicted older adults as weak, vulnerable, and dispensable. As the pandemic evolves, nurturing and leveraging these positives will be key to combatting the cycle of fear and restrictions that the pandemic could bring.