«¡Hemos envejecido mucho en estos dos años!». Efectos de la pandemia de COVID-19 sobre la salud de las personas mayores viviendo solas

Background and objective

Surveys carried out around the world agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has deteriorated the health of older people. Those who live alone have been especially affected. Our objective is to analyze this fact, comprehensively interpreting the descriptions that they themselves transmit.

Method

Qualitative research that follows the guidelines of Grounded Theory and uses interviews to collect information. The theoretical sampling consisted of 102 interviews, all in person, carried out in several phases.

Results

Three main themes are identified. 1) The adoption of an inactive and sedentary lifestyle by older people living alone throughout the pandemic. 2) This was accompanied by a deficit in health care, since they avoided going to hospitals and health centers as they were conceived as spaces with a high risk of COVID-19 infection, that is, for fear of contagion. Telephone support was not an effective alternative to face-to-face consultations. 3) The loss of subjective health, which they attribute to the pandemic, in the form of physical worsening, especially related to mobility, mental problems such as anxiety or depression and/or perceived cognitive impairment.

Conclusions

The pandemic has negatively affected the health status of older people living alone, and its effects were not only immediate, but would last in the medium and long term. We are faced with a particularly vulnerable group and what has happened in recent years suggests the need for urgent and profound social interventions that improve their quality of life.