Resilience and well-being of older people in times of crisis and beyond

Recent times have been characterized by a number of crises which can challenge the quality of life of older people. The Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, has been disruptive for social participation and integration. While at the beginning of the pandemic, the sanitary measures were at the foreground and most effort was focused on containing the virus, it became soon clear that secondary effects of social distancing were putting at risk the subjective well-being and mental health of people around the globe. Older people were particularly concerned by social distancing measures as they were regarded a vulnerable group, irrespective of their heterogeneity. Social engagement is a main pillar of successful ageing (Rowe & Kahn, 2015) but opportunities for social activities and connectedness with others have been undermined during the pandemic.
Interestingly and contrary to expectations, initial studies have shown that older people fared on average better than feared in the early months of the pandemic as they could draw on resources and resilience built over a life time. However, prolonged times of inactivity and social isolation can take a toll on mental and physical health of those older people who find it difficult to reconnect with others and to participate in social activities.
In my talk, I will present findings from the FNR-funded CRISIS project on older people during the pandemic regarding “Correlates of Resilience In the context of Social Isolation in Seniors” as well as from the PAN-VAL project on active ageing in the context of cultural diversity in Luxembourg which was funded by the Ministry of Family and Integration, and I will make reference to the importance of intergenerational relations for the subjective well-being of (older) family members.
In light of present and future societal challenges, I will finally discuss how geropsychology can make a contribution to ensure the quality of life of older people.