Quality of life of elderly people before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and expectation in the post-pandemic

Abstract

The present research aimed to know the opinions of a group of 67 elderly people who, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, were treated in university geriatric outpatient clinics, wondering about the feelings arising from the pandemic and the quality of life (QOL) in three moments (before and during the pandemic and the expectation of what it will be like in the post-pandemic). Less than a month after the quarantine began, 76.1% mentioned words that focused on negative feelings. When asked about QOL before the start of the pandemic, 82.1% considered it to be very good / good and 17.9%, as regular. During the pandemic, it was classified as good / very good by 43.3%; regular by 1.3%; and bad / very bad by 25.4%. The dimension of QOL most affected at this time was the social dimension, with quarantine being frequently referred to as “prison”. As for the QOL expectation after the end of the pandemic, we had: very good / good at 73.1%; regular by 13.4%; and bad / very bad, at 13.4%. Therefore, the elderly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, need to be the focus of actions and planning aimed at maintaining their well-being and satisfaction, which is directly related to their ability to overcome difficulties and obstacles.