COVID in Context: The Lived Experience of Richmond's Low-Income Older Adults

Jodi M Winship; Tracey Gendron; Leland Waters; Jane Chung; Kimberly Battle; Melissa Cisewski; Melody Gregory; Lana Sargent; Faika Zanjani; Patrica Slattum; Marissa Mackiewicz; Ana Diallo; Gregory Ford; Katherine Falls; Elvin T Price; Pamela L Parsons; VCU iCubed Health and Wellness in Aging Transdisciplinary Core8

doi:10.1177/23337214221079208

COVID in Context: The Lived Experience of Richmond's Low-Income Older Adults

Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2022 Feb 25:8:23337214221079208. doi: 10.1177/23337214221079208. eCollection 2022 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Jodi M Winship¹, Tracey Gendron^{2

3}, Leland Waters^{2

3}, Jane Chung⁴, Kimberly Battle⁴, Melissa Cisewski⁴, Melody Gregory¹, Lana Sargent^{4

5}, Faika Zanjani², Patrica Slattum^{3

5}, Marissa Mackiewicz^{5

6}, Ana Diallo⁴, Gregory Ford⁷, Katherine Falls⁴, Elvin T Price^{5

6}, Pamela L Parsons⁴; VCU iCubed Health and Wellness in Aging Transdisciplinary Core8

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
² Department of Gerontology, College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
³ Virginia Center on Aging, College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
⁴ School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
⁵ Department of Pharmacotherapy & Outcomes Science, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
⁶ Geriatric Pharmacotherapy Program, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
⁷ Beacon Communities, LLC, Richmond, VA, USA.

Abstract

Taking a phenomenological approach, this qualitative study describes the lived experiences of low-income older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. A socio-ecological model was used to organize the five identified themes describing the lived experience: socio-economic context, Black Lives Matter and the politics of race, COVID and polarized views of COVID, interpersonal context (social connections), and individual context (feelings, beliefs, and behaviors). Study findings illustrate the intersectionality of contextual influences on the experience of low-income older adults. Study participants demonstrated remarkable resilience and coping strategies developed in response to the challenges they experienced throughout their lifetime which benefited them when faced with the pandemic, social unrest, and political events that took place in 2020. This study highlights the importance of understanding the larger context of COVID-19 which has significant implications for policy makers and public health leaders.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter; COVID-19; health disparities; older adults; social-ecological model.