Abstract
The central argument and research question of this paper relates to uncovering certain truths of ageing and staying independent, in the context of middle and upper-middle class aged households in urban Kolkata. By attempting to locate the aged in the changing family dynamics, their grievances and concerns especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and contextualising the observations from my fieldwork against existing literature, my paper adds to rich repository of scholarship on lived experiences of aging and social gerontology in India, which is still an up-and-coming field. The methodology of fieldwork for this paper was primarily participant observation, having stayed separately with three different sets of participants. Through carefully outlined and detailed observations, I establish the need for adequate isolation and protective measures, specifically with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Older adults represent a heterogeneous group, which could explain the contradictory results found in the existing literature, in addition to the formulations of this paper. Individual, organizational, and institutional strategies should be established to ensure that older adults are able to maintain social contacts, preserve family ties, and maintain the ability to give or receive help during the current pandemic.
Presenters
Aatreyee GhoshalStudent, Sociology, Manipal Centre for Humanities, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Older adult, Aging, India, Covid-19 Pandemic
