Objective: Older adults have been impacted more than most by the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. We identify how older adults have adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and Colombia.Method: We investigated how older people in the United Kingdom and Colombia adapted to the pandemic. The analysis will be undertaken by qualitative constructivist grounded theory. We interviewed n=29 participants in the UK and n=33 participants in Colombia.Findings: The pandemic highlighted the ability of older adults to learn new skills when faced with challenges and adversities. The results suggest that some participants found new goals, and some found pleasure in optimising existing skills and tasks. Other participants compensated for the lack of social connectivity by intensifying hobbies they already enjoy. We identified three ways in which older adults adapted: cognitive, emotional, and behavioural. However, not all participants adapted well, instead struggled to adapt. Across countries, many participants were ‘holding the tension’ and were waiting for the pandemic to end.Conclusion: Adaptation under adverse circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic is possible for older adults. However, many participants were ‘holding the tension’ until the health threat was over.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.