Abstract

JOSE, José Manuel Sousa de São et al. “I Was... Put in a Cage”: The Experience of COVID-19 Home Confinement among Older Adults Living Alone in Portugal^*. Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais [online]. 2022, n.128, pp.111-134.  Epub Sep 30, 2022. ISSN 2182-7435.  https://doi.org/10.4000/rccs.13468.

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.

Keywords : COVID-19; lockdown; loneliness; loss; one-person households.

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