Older adults’ adaptiveness to disruptions during South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdown: Keep your head up and continue breathing

Abstract

Introduction: Adaptiveness fosters resilience through increasing capacity to transcend barriers in individuals, their environment and occupational engagement.  The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown may have decreased adaptiveness in older adults by disrupting occupational engagement, thus negatively influencing health and well-being.

Methods: A qualitative, meta-analytic design was used to explore the adaptiveness of older adults to disruptions experienced during South Africa's COVID-19 lockdown.  Four student researchers' primary studies were reviewed and findings synthesised for this paper.  Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants during April and May 2020.  The transcvripts were analysed thematically and reported in the primary studies.  The authors conducted thematic analysis across all four primary studies to develop themes for this paper.

Findings: Three dominant themes emerged: (1) COVID-19 as an illness, (2) occupational disruptions experienced by older adults, and (3) developing a state of adaptiveness. Ol,der adults developed adaptiveness through changing perspective, adapting to new environments, learning to use technology, expanding roles and routines, and strengthening the spirituyal self through engagement in eudemonic occupations.

Conclusions: The study provides insights into challenges and adaptiveness of older adults during the COVID-19 lockdown.  Findings inform interventions with older adults presenting with reduced adaptiveness.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:

This study is valuable as it provides occupational therapists with deeper understanding of older adults' experiences and challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown, laying the potential for strengthening cline-therapist interpersonal relationships.  Although the sample observed in this study was older adults, the findings can be considered for other vulnerable clients such as individuals with disease, illness and/or disability.  Additionally, these findings may provide occupational therapists with insights that can assist in framing intervention strategies for clients with a decreased state of adaptiveness.  This is significan as adaptation requires reasonable social, emotional and cognitive processes.  Lastly, this study aimed to contribute to a wealth of research exploring adaptiveness, rooted in the reality that change is inexorable;  however, how we respond to change can be transformative for individual and population wellbeing.