Older Adults Share Their Pandemic Experiences

ABSTRACT

When older adults came together in focus groups to share their experiences during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, they told of loneliness, anxiety, and depression;physical and cognitive decline;and heartbreak over losing family members and friends with no chance to say goodbye. This article focuses on ways they coped and their recommendations and hopes for the future. The 17 participants represented a mix of races, geographic locations, living situations, and health issues. In addition to their own experiences, several worked with low-income and homeless individuals and shared insights into how those socioeconomic groups fared.