Precarious ageing in a global pandemic – older adults' experiences of being at risk due to COVID-19
Ageing and Society
; : 1-19, 2022.
Article
in English
| Web of Science | ID: covidwho-1967568
ABSTRACT
Health authorities worldwide address older adults as a risk group for more serious illness and health complications associated with COVID-19, while social gerontologists have warned that addressing older adults as a risk group of COVID-19 bears the risk of reinforcing ageism. This paper empirically explores to what extent older adults perceive themselves as part of a COVID-19 risk group and how these perceptions influence their everyday lives and experiences of age and ageing. This paper draws upon data from a mixed-methods study on older adults' risk perceptions during COVID-19 in Lower Austria, including a representative survey on 521 adults (60+ years) and data from 20 semi-structured interviews. Approximately two-thirds of the respondents consider themselves at risk of COVID-19 and name age, in addition to pre-existing illness, as a contributing factor in this risk perception. Older adults with health constraints, and especially older men, have a higher probability of perceiving risk due to COVID-19. Additionally, older adults report that they experience being 'suddenly seen as old' or 'being put into a box' during the pandemic, which influenced their experiences and images of ageing. Our study provides insights into how perceived COVID-19 risk affects the everyday lives of older adults. Age-based categorisations of risk contribute to a shift in images of age and ageing, drawing on insecurity and risk, rather than successful and active ageing, to conceptualise later life.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
Web of Science
Type of study:
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
Language:
English
Journal:
Ageing and Society
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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