Vulnerability in context; hard numbers, tricky words and grey areas for gerontology

Abstract

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Portuguese government identified those aged 70 or more as a risk group, placing a special duty of protection on them to shelter-at-home. This paper asks how Portuguese municipalities, using Facebook posts, communicated the risk to older adults and to what extent ageist stereotypes were found in the language and frames employed. Over 3800 Facebook posts made by Portuguese municipalities concerning older adults and COVID-19 published between March and July 2020 were analyzed. Language counts for age-related words were used in a first round of content analysis followed by a process of thematic analysis. Findings indicate that the language used to address Portuguese older adults could be understood as ageist in terms of homogenizing older people as a fixed group. The communication of risk was often conflated with the vulnerability narrative already observed in the extant literature. However, context- and culture-specific themes of ‘solidarity’, ‘inter-relatedness’, ‘duty of care’ and ‘support for those living in isolation’ were also found. The study highlights the extent to which language, culture and context are intertwined with our understanding of age, aging and ageism. It provides a culturally-specific case study, which challenges both gerontological interpretations of vulnerability and neoliberal frames which focus responsibility on the individual regardless of age. We argue that these alternative frames echo the emerging discourse of mutual aid and solidarity, providing a wider context for addressing vulnerability in a health crisis.