Health-management experiences among older women living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic: A photovoice study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the health-management experiences of older women living alone during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic through the photovoice method. The research question was as follows: “What were the physical, psychological, and social health management experiences of older women living alone during COVID-19?”Methods: Data collection was conducted by a photovoice method. We visited the homes of 8 participants aged from 80 to 89 years old in the city of Daejeon between June 23 and July 14, 2022 using purposive sampling.Results: As a result of the photovoice study, 125 photos, 15 sub-themes, and four themes were derived. The first theme was “loneliness deepened by COVID-19”, which consisted of the following sub-themes: “lack of communication due to COVID-19”, “staying in nature”, and “aggravated loneliness during COVID-19”. The second theme was “difficulty getting out of the residence”, which included the following sub-themes: “relief stress from COVID-19”, frustrated by the difficulty of going out”, “decreased orientation and going out less frequently”, and “avoiding going out for fear of falling”. The third theme was “health-care lost”, which involved the following sub-themes: “silence as giving up on life”, “asthenia due to lack of appetite”, “painful body”, “many medications and poor health”, and “treatment that doesn't help”. The last theme was “something to depend on during COVID-19”, which consisted of the following sub-themes: “gratitude to care givers”, “longing for a bereaved family”, and “precarious place of residence”.Conclusion: Older women living alone experienced aggravated vulnerability and difficulty with health management due to a lack of social support during the COVID-19 period. This study suggests the need for a social safety network and vividly reveals the necessity of caregivers’ support and policy assistance for socially vulnerable populations.