Loneliness or Abandonment: The Adaptability of the Elderly in Elderly Care Institution during Anti-COVID-19 Epidemic

Abstract

Based on the social adaptation theory, this paper explores the adaptability of the elderly in Elderly Care Institution during the epidemic prevention and control of COVID-19. The elderly over 60 years old in J Elderly Care Institution in Z City, Guangdong Province are considered as the research object. The statistical results explain that the adaptability of the elderly is significantly affected by the individual adaptability, that is, the subjective feelings of life. The sense of abandonment caused by the quarantining policy that hinders the elderly in Elderly Care Institutions to meet their family members rather than the feeling of loneliness leads to their overall maladjustment, psychological depression, and interpersonal problems during the epidemic. This study also contributes to the improvement of Chinese government policies for caring about the elderly during the normalization of epidemic prevention and control over the COVID-19.

Keywords

• COVID-19 pandemic
• abandonment
• the elderly in Elderly Care Institutions
• adaptability
• epidemic prevention and control