A1 Journal article (refereed)
Forced to live in the present : older people's temporal experiences of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic (2024)

Leinonen, E., & Era, S. (2024). Forced to live in the present : older people's temporal experiences of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ageing and society, Early online. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x2400014x

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Publication details

All authors or editors: Leinonen, Emilia; Era, Salla

Journal or series: Ageing and society

ISSN: 0144-686X

eISSN: 1469-1779

Publication year: 2024

Publication date: 24/04/2024

Volume: Early online

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x2400014x

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/94529

Abstract

This article explores the temporalities experienced by persons aged 70 years and over during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland. Although the temporalities of the pandemic have been analysed from multiple perspectives, we contribute to this line of research in two ways. First, we show how deeply the pandemic affected older people's experiences of temporality. Second, we further develop the concept of forced present to highlight the consequences that the restriction measures had on older persons’ situations and perceptions of temporality. More specifically, we asked the following question: How did older people perceive time (past, present and future) during the pandemic? We used thematic analysis to examine a dataset consisting of written letters (N = 77) collected between April and June 2020. The findings showed that social isolation forced older people to live in the present without being able to plan their near future because they had no knowledge of when they would be ‘free’ again, which made some participants feel anxious and depressed. Furthermore, we found that the present became intertwined with the personal past as well as with the collective past, as evidenced by participants’ descriptions of war, previous pandemics and hardships. This article deepens our understanding of older people's everyday lives during the pandemic and highlights the problematic nature of social isolation of older people as a safety measure. Overall, this article reveals the particularity of older people's experiences in unequal pandemic times and the ageism inherent in the restriction measures.

Keywords: pandemics; COVID-19; unusual conditions; older people; isolation; experiences (knowledge); temporality; past; future expectations

Free keywords: COVID-19; Finland; forced present; lockdown; older people; temporalities

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Preliminary JUFO rating: 2