Changes in Daily Life and Quality of Life of the Elderly due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focusing on a Comparison between Single-Family and Multi-Family

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the changes in the daily life and quality of life of the elderly due to the spread of COVID-19. This study attempted to supplement the limitations of quantitative analysis by performing both quantitative and qualitative analysis. A large-scale representative data, the Elderly Survey 2017 and 2020, were analyzed, and in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 16 elderly people in Gwangju and Seoul. As a result, it was found that the overall quality of life was positively changed compared to before Corona. The frequency of contact and visits with family members decreased whereas the time spent watching TV increased. The elderly's adaptation to daily life has a series of processes since the first outbreak of COVID-19. At the beginning of the outbreak, there were fear, anxiety, and depression due to isolation, but gradually made efforts to adapt to the new situation. They reported that they realized the importance of human relationships, especially spouses, in a crisis situation and that there were some positive aspects as well. Finally, in all these results a difference was found between single-person households and multi-person households. Through the above research results, academic and policy measures were discussed.