The Role of Neighborhoods in Shaping the Aging Experience During Times of Crisis.

Abstract

As of October 8, 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 211,000 people across the nation and has infected more than 7.5 million Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). The consequences of the pandemic are far-reaching, exceeding loss of life and deterioration of health. For example, the government policies enacted to slow the rate of transmission (e.g., “shelter-in-place” mandates; social distancing guidelines) led to limited economic activity. As a result, the United States entered an economic recession, facing reduced production and retail sales in addition to employment loss. At the same time, revitalized social movements against systemic racism, particularly police brutality, were spurred following the recent killings of several Black women and men at the hands of police, including Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. These killings may be interpreted as a reflection of institutional prejudices that disproportionately affect Black and Latinx communities (Jones & Sawyer 2020; Tate et al., 2020). Current efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, respond to the financial impacts of the pandemic, and address systemic racism often rest with federal and state government entities. However, local and more informal spaces such as neighborhoods are also consequential, especially for older adults who are experiencing multiple and compounding sources of vulnerability during this particular sociohistorical moment. Neighborhoods are important organizing features of our lives that profoundly affect how spaces operate in times of crisis and how individuals respond to, and are affected by, those crises (Browning et al., 2006). Past scholarship also documents the powerful influence of neighborhoods on the disablement process, onset of chronic disease, and mental health across the life course (Diez Roux & Mair, 2010; Rogowski et al., 2006), making neighborhoods essential contexts for the aging experience of community-dwelling older adults. It is therefore critical to revisit what neighborhoods mean for health and aging and their unique role in supporting vulnerable populations during the current crises. Such knowledge will not only inform social policy and programs that benefit older adults who wish to age in place, but will also collectively prepare us for crises in the future.