Analysis of the COVID-19 Experience of the Elderly Population in Istanbul and Development of a Social Resilience Measure for the Elderly Project

The aim of the project; The aim is to identify the resources that increase or decrease the social resilience of the elderly population living in Istanbul during the COVID-19 epidemic, to examine their experiences during the curfews, and to develop a criterion for resilience resources. It is aimed to conduct a survey with 500 people aged 65 and over living in Istanbul and to interview 50 people. One of the important findings of the project; It is determined that the most important factor in the resilience of the elderly is the family. The elderly received the greatest help from their children and grandchildren in meeting their needs during the epidemic. Another important source of resilience is home ownership and fixed income ownership (retirement and survivor benefits). However, half of the participants stated that they suffered direct or indirect financial losses during the epidemic period; because many participants gave financial support to their children who lost their jobs during the epidemic. The participants, most of whom lived a relatively active life before the epidemic, mostly complained about staying indoors during the curfews, experiencing distress and health problems related to this, and not being able to communicate with their close circles. The project has shown that one of the sources of resilience for the elderly during the pandemic period is the outdoor usage area of ​​the houses they live in. The project also; It has been shown that women spend the curfew period with more "coolness" and take better care of themselves at home, but the domestic workload of women has also increased during the epidemic period. The research findings show that the vast majority of the participants are knowledgeable and conscious about the epidemic and comply with the recommended measures. Curfews or restrictions targeting only the elderly have negatively affected the physical health and emotions of the elderly population. The project showed that the elderly received the most support from their families to continue their daily lives during the epidemic. In contrast, the role of public institutions is very low. In future epidemic periods, local or central public arrangements should be made to effectively reach the elderly population, inform them and meet their daily and health needs. Half of the participants use the internet. It would be appropriate to develop methods to increase digital literacy so that the elderly population can access accurate information about the epidemic and meet their daily needs.