Jopp, Daniela and Cavalli, Stefano and von Gunten, Armin and Herrmann, Francois and Gomes da Rocha, Carla and Ziade, Garnelle and Uittenhove, Kim (2022) Swiss centenarians’experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Opening up Psychology. In: 17th Conference of the Swiss Psychological Society, 05.09.2022, Zurigo. (Unpublished)
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Very old individuals have been quickly identified as particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 infection, given age-associated curtailed immune system and additional risks due to multimorbidity. Governments around the world have put in place wide-ranging measures to protect older individuals from the virus, including lockdown, closing meetings and physical activities, and closing nursing homes to the public. Lockdown-related negative side effects have meanwhile been documents from many countries and across all ages. However, almost no information is available on very old individuals, including centenarians. Given that they are in a particularly vulnerable situation, not only because of their augmented risk for infection, but also because they often have to rely on other people due to functional limitations and because many of them are living in nursing homes, documenting the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on this population – which is often invisible – is of high importance. In the present study, we investigated centenarians’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, to reach a better understanding of their vulnerability and resilience. Within the SWISS100 Study, we conducted telephone interviews with 64 centenarians and 78 family members using a mixed-methods approach. Content coding of the qualitative data suggested that centenarians who lived rather socially withdrawn before the crisis did not experience major changes. Previously active centenarians however suffered from being unable to see family and friends and missed valued activities. Family members observed additional effects, including centenarians’ decline in mental and physical health. Findings highlight the importance of different vulnerability profiles and lockdown side effects
| Item Type: | Article in conference proceedings or Presentation at a conference (Lecture) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Social studies Social studies > Sociology |
| Department/unit: | Dipartimento economia aziendale, sanità e sociale > Centro competenze anziani |
| Depositing User: | Roberta Torriani |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Apr 2023 09:48 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Apr 2023 09:49 |
| URI: | http://repository.supsi.ch/id/eprint/14009 |
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