Pandemic Stories: Voices of older adults

To document the reactions and experiences of older persons during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre for Elder Research conducted a qualitative study of 25 older adults (50+) throughout the pandemic, using serial interviewing methods. Our thematic analysis found eight major themes: thoughts on the dangers of the pandemic, how the virus has changed daily life (including social life), healthcare during COVID (being a caregiver, losing a loved one, seeking healthcare), missing spontaneity and dealing with existential dread, the growing frustration, seeking connection through civic participation, adaptation and resilience, and the social ills that the pandemic has revealed. Their stories describe both loneliness and connection, hope coupled with disappointment, but overwhelmingly, an insight into what the pandemic has shown us in terms of the social ills that it has revealed