“I Was... Put in a Cage”: The Experience of COVID-19 Home Confinement among Older Adults Living Alone in Portugal*

• Autor(a) principal: José,José Manuel Sousa de São
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Timonen,Virpi, Teixeira,Ana Rita, Amado,Carla Alexandra da Encarnação Filipe, Santos,Sérgio Pereira dos, Coelho,Patrícia Marina Paulo C. C. Severino
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://scielo.pt/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2182-74352022000200111
• topic: COVID-19; lockdown; loneliness; loss; one-person households

Abstract This article presents findings of a qualitative study reporting older adults’ experiences of solitary home confinement during Portugal’s first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Home confinement was marked by negative experiences, with the exception of one participant who had a particularly favorable combination of resources and circumstances. Negative experiences involved losses in several areas, such as being deprived of out-of-home activities, independence and face-to-face social interactions. Losing out-of-home activities and independence promoted a sense of imprisonment, while losing face-to-face social interactions triggered a feeling of physical loneliness. Considering the potential negative implications of these losses, it is crucial to create innovative solutions that can mitigate them in future lockdowns.