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 transcripts 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. Older adults

developed adaptiveness through changing perspective,

adapting to new environments, learning to use technology,

expanding roles and routines, and strengthening the spiritual

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 a deeper understanding of older adults’ experiences

and challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown, thus, laying

the potential for strengthening client-therapist interpersonal

relationships. Although the sample observed in this study was

older adults, the findings can be considered among 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 significant 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.