Covid-19 Pandemic Impact On Older People In Urban And Rural Contexts

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the impact of the pandemic on the life of the elderly in urban and rural contexts. We compared the key parameters of self-isolation in the city and the countryside. Our study concludes that the pandemic in a rural context has not increased the social exclusion of the older people at the community level. The mild regime of self-isolation in the villages made it possible to carry out the usual daily practices and maintain communication. In turn, in the urban context, the elderly faced severe spatial isolation and the inability to maintain their usual daily lifestyle, which negatively affected their physical and psychological state. In terms of health care, many older people, both urban and rural, have been forced to cancel scheduled doctor visits and check-ups, postpone surgery indefinitely, and have difficulty accessing prescription drugs and dental care. The pandemic exposed and once again emphasized the infrastructure deficit of the rural area, when, after the cancellation of bus routes, the villagers were actually cut off from large shops, banks, pharmacies and medical institutions. A feature of experiencing the pandemic in the rural area was the strengthening of public control over “strangers” and the movements of local residents. A striking trend during the pandemic has been the rapid digitalization (developing gadgets, transferring communication to an online format, searching for and consuming information on the Internet), which has affected both villagers and city dwellers. We can see the growth of intergenerational and local solidarity, which was expressed in the help from the younger generations of the family, volunteer associations in the city and the local community in the countryside.