Loneliness of elderly in the epidemic situation of Coronavirus Disease 2019
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Abstract
This exploratory descriptive qualitative research aimed to study the loneliness of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic and their coping strategies with loneliness. The informants were 13 elderly people who experienced loneliness. The research tools were the Elderly Loneliness and the Dementia Assessment using the Mini-Mental State Examination and an in-depth interview framework developed by the researcher. Data were collected using in-depth interviews until data saturation was achieved. The research results found that the loneliness of the elderly manifested as feelings of isolation, having to stay home alone, being unable to visit children and grandchildren, as if they have lost contact and without a partner, and inability to perform routine activities. Coping with loneliness involved actions taken to manage the situation including utilizing personal experiences to solve problems, accepting the need to stay home despite of feeling uncomfortable, engaging in beneficial activities, using phone or video calling to communicate with family members, and recommending that children get tested for COVID-19 before making a visit. In addition, the elderly had ways to create happiness by themselves even though the pandemic situation has occurred.
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