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Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed and amplified the caring roles of Scottish older people. We challenge the stereotypical view of older people as recipients of care rather than providers through lessons from the Healthy Ageing in Scotland COVID Impact and Recovery Study.

Paper long abstract:

Taking on this panel theme of challenges of care in later life, we propose to turn the paradigm of caring in later life on its head by looking at older people as care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper is informed by interview findings from a mixed-method project, the Healthy Ageing in Scotland (HAGIS) COVID Impact and Recovery Study, conducted at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Our findings demonstrate that people aged 50 years and older provided vital care during the pandemic, in particular for family members (e.g., partner with dementia; adult children; grandchildren with and without disabilities/learning difficulties). Similarly, they stepped in to provide and show care in their community, for friends and neighbours, through various actions and individual gestures. We will discuss how older people's caring responsibilities have been transformed, complicated, challenged and amplified by the pandemic, in particular when usual community care or other forms of support have been disrupted by COVID-19 restrictions. Some of the challenges we will discuss also include the inability of providing care and its effects on all those involved. We also aim to challenge the stereotypes of older people as being mostly recipients of care by discussing how older people have essential roles in inter-generational constellations of care.

All interviews have been designed and conducted using co-production approaches with our seven co-researchers, who are volunteers aged over 50 who live in Scotland. In the spirit of co-production, the paper will be presented as a team with our co-researchers.