We may be long in the tooth, but it makes us tough

Exploring stillness for older adults during the Covid-19 lockdowns

Bibliographic Data

ID3978085
AuthorsTess Osborne (0000-0003-3323-8237, University of Groningen, The Netherlands), Louise Meijering (0000-0003-0430-5373, Institute for Urban and Regional Research)
Year2023
Volume24
Issue3-4
Pages447-466
Publication date2023-03-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial & Cultural Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-9365 • E-ISSN: 1470-1197
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14649365.2021.2000019
PMID37025930
OpenAlexW3208830212
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited43

Following the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 across the world in 2020, millions of people were reduced in their mobility to hinder the spread of the disease. The lockdown was particularly difficult for older adults, who were deemed 'vulnerable' because many felt unsafe leaving the house and often forced to self-isolate. In this paper, we interpret the lockdowns as a period of prolonged stillness: breaks from everyday practices, including withdrawnness, inefficiency, and retreat. We extend ideas of stillness by integrating the capability approach, which shows how the opportunities and challenges that arise from moments of stillness are dependent on a combination of individual agency and the role of structural or contextual factors. Using the accounts of thirty-eight older adults in the Netherlands and England, we show how the COVID-19 lockdowns established and encouraged different types of stillness which had differing impacts upon the older adults' lives. The effect of the prolonged stillness on these different areas of everyday life is based on individual agency and contextual factors, such as choosing to volunteer or having an adequate internet connection. Thus, our findings contribute to discussions around active ageing and demonstrate that slowing down, and spending more time at home, can provide respite from an otherwise active everyday life

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Aesthetics · Art · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Sociology · Health disparities and outcomes · History · Homelessness and Social Issues · Medicine · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Virology

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