The beginning of COVID (March 2020) – “My husband and I are afraid we will end up dying in our home.” (87 year old woman)

16 months later (July 2021) – “We have discovered how much we love being home, have downsized our lives and recalibrated our time.” 

When thinking about older people during COVID, many conjure the image of being stuck in assisted living, isolated, and dying. While that has been true for some seniors, the reality is, that, according to the research, people over 60 have done better than any other age group in terms of mental well-being (Helliwell, Huang, Wang, & Norton 2021). The studies give some clues as to why the over 60s have done so well but not an overall picture/perspective. This paper will attempt to address the behind the scenes of why and how some of the over 60s did so well and lessons they learned.