Ecosystem approach in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic problems of the elderly: The case of Pendik

This study aims to determine the positive and negative factors that affect the overcoming of the problems of the elderly in the Covid-19 pandemic within the scope of the social service ecosystem approach and to evaluate them in this context. Phenomenology, a qualitative research design, was chosen for this study as it was considered appropriate to the research aim. The participants was formed using the criterion sampling technique, which is a purposeful sampling technique commonly used in qualitative research. The research study was conducted with a group of twenty-six elderly individuals who reside in the Pendik district, along with two experts who played an active role during the pandemic. Within this context, data were collected through in-depth interviews with elderly participants using semi-structured questions. The aim was to identify the systems that facilitate or complicate the coping and adaptation of the elderly during the epidemic at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The data was analyzed using the MAXQDA 2022 qualitative data analysis program. Main themes and sub-codes related to the codes discovered from the participants' responses were created using an inductive method. The research identified five main themes: emotions experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, actions taken during the Covid-19 pandemic, support received during the Covid-19 pandemic, challenges encountered during the Covid-19 pandemic, and expectations during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the study draws conclusions at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels using an ecosystem approach. At the micro level, the negative factors that stand out in affecting the coping and adaptation of the elderly in the Covid-19 pandemic are insufficient income, chronic diseases, and loneliness, while the prominent factors that affect positively are religious belief and being cautious. At the mezzo level, it was concluded that the prominent factors that facilitate coping and adaptation of elderly participants in the pandemic were family, neighborhood and the place of residence. At the macro level, the factors that positively affect the coping and adaptation of elderly participants in the epidemic are listed as institutional services provided, following the rules after the decisions taken during the epidemic process. It was concluded that the factors affecting negatively at the macro level are the media's presentation of the pandemic, exclusion and discrimination. The results of other findings are presented in detail in the study.