Perceptions and experiences of an older adult during and after the diagnosis of COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges and a disproportionate threat to older adults, having an impact on their biopsychosocial and spiritual sphere.

Objective: To explore the perceptions and experiences of an older adult during and after diagnosis of COVID-19.

Methods: Single case study, with Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological approach. An in-depth interview was applied, which began with a generative question and five open-ended questions to deepen the phenomenon of perceptions and experiences of suffering from COVID-19. Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis technique was used for data analysis and interpretation.

Results: The informant was an older adult of 66 years of age, who has been living with type 2 diabetes for 22 years, which made him vulnerable to the contagion of COVID-19. From the life experience, 4 categories and 8 subcategories were identified, where the impact of COVID-19 on corporeality, subjective expressiveness of the body in the face of the disease, the body in the interaction with others, awareness of support from a superior being and humanized attention in the lived world were addressed.

Conclusion: The disease caused psychological, physical, social and spiritual changes since the appearance of signs and symptoms. Among them the feeling of fear, sadness, loneliness, deterioration of social and family function due to social isolation. Among the coping mechanisms of the disease is the family and God.