The social position of the elderly and their problems during the pandemic: The case of Sakarya-Karasu

Due to the rapid increase in the rates of the elderly population both worldwide and in Türkiye, the case of the elderly have become a remarkable issue. Studies for the elderly are increasing day by day. Since crisis periods such as pandemics are not common, these processes create their own problem fields and become important for social sciences in terms of disrupting social functionality and causing conflicts in the social field. Examining the effects of the pandemic process and coronavirus disease on one of the disadvantaged groups, namely elderly individuals, has a unique value in the context of the position and problems of the elderly individuals in Türkiye. The effects on health, psychology, social, economic, political, communication and social activity areas as a result of the measures applied to combat the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease, such as quarantine and social isolation in individuals aged 65 and over, who are in the risk group and socially disadvantaged segment, and Pandemic perceptions and thoughts of elderly individuals were made salient throughout this research. For this research, a qualitative method, a case study approach was used, and in-depth interview technique was used to reveal in detail the problem areas of different dimensions that they experienced during the pandemic process. Within the scope of the case study approach, using purpose snowball sampling technique,16 participants were reached in the Karasu district of Sakarya province between 3 October and 24 November 2022 in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, process limitation. After the fieldwork of the research was completed, the data obtained were themed by using descriptive analysis and discourse analysis methods. In this research, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic process on elderly individuals; health, psychology, sociology, economy, political, communication and social activity dimensions were examined, each dimension was evaluated within its own framework, and the problems of the elderly individuals within the scope of the research and their perceptions about the pandemic were reached. It is thought that examining the effects of the coronavirus pandemic process on elderly individuals with different dimensions will guide future plans and policies in order to eliminate the problems experienced in disadvantaged groups during the crisis processes, and it is recommended that future studies be carried out on areas that are deemed deficient.