Aging & Social Change: Twelfth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

Having an active life with meaningful social relations is often viewed as key for older persons’ well-being. Experiences of loneliness is seen as a negative issue that must be avoided or reduced. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of loneliness among older persons was highlighted in the public discourse, as the restrictions imposed to avoid the spread of infection among the older has resulted to their social isolation. This study examined how older persons talk about social relations, loneliness, and everyday life, relating these issues to their own identity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 30 persons (14 men, 16 women) living in Sweden were conducted. The participants use of linguistic resources (i.e., concepts and metaphors) was analysed, examining how older persons make sense of their own social relations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they construct their self-identity in relation to others. The preliminary findings indicate that older persons viewed loneliness as a minor problem during the COVID-19 pandemic, hardly mentioned as one even among those who live alone or those who have faced adversities in the past (e.g., loss of family member, illness). Having an active lifestyle and being busy was recurrently mentioned as the preferred strategy for mitigating loneliness. Loneliness was mainly considered as an issue of “others”, often comparing the “self” with “others” who are lonelier. It was concluded that during the COVID-19 pandemic, being “non-lonely” was an important part of older persons’ self-identity.