Aging & Social Change: Tenth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic poses a great challenge for older people both in terms of the severity of the disease and the negative consequences of social distancing. Assumptions about negative effects on the lives of the elderly, affecting dimensions of successful aging (such as the preservation of social relationships), have thus far been hypothetical and have lacked empirical evidence. The aim of this study is to shed empirical light on the effects of Covid-19 on the everyday life of older people against the background of the concept of successful aging. Data of a standardized, representative telephone survey with residents of Lower Austria was used for this secondary analysis. The sample included 521 persons aged 60 years and older. The empirical data show that Covid-19 safety measures can pose an obstacle to two of the three dimensions of successful aging: productive activity, which often includes an interactive component, as well as physical activity (exercise) have been drastically reduced during social distancing measures.