Aging in Place During a Pandemic: Neighborhood Engagement and Environments Since the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

The COVID-19 pandemic may fundamentally change neighborhood environments and ways of aging in place. This research aimed to investigate perceptions of and engagement in neighborhoods since the pandemic onset among aging Americans.

Research design and methods

Data were from the COVID-19 Coping Study, a longitudinal cohort study of health and wellbeing of US adults aged ≥55 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the present analysis, we conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of responses to an open-ended survey question about how respondents felt that COVID-19 has impacted their neighborhood and relationships with neighbors. The survey data were collected June-September 2020 and analyzed for a random stratified sub-sample of 1,000 study participants. Sampling quotas for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and education aimed to match the US population aged ≥55 (average age: 67.7 years).

Results

We identified four overarching themes: altered neighborly social interactions, support levels, and community environments; and no observed changes. Geographic factors that impacted neighborhood engagement included age structure, sociopolitical diversity, urbanicity/rurality, and walkability; while individual factors included age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, political orientation, health status, duration of residence, lifestyle, and personality.

Discussion and implications

The results highlight resilience among aging adults and their neighbors, sources of individual and community vulnerability, and opportunities to strengthen social infrastructure to support aging in place since the pandemic onset.

SUBMITTER: Finlay JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8767892 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature