This Project is a continuation of the PlaceAge Project, and we are now focusing on studying the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical, mental and social well-being of older adults in Brazil, in short and long term.

The COVID-19 pandemic raised significant challenges in the urban context, considering the health and well-being of older people, when analyzing the ability to access health and social assistance services in the city. Access to these resources is essential to keep older adults healthy and active, and also socially connected in their communities. Older adults were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of mortality and in physical, mental and social well-being resulting from measures of isolation and social detachment, which led many to loneliness. COVID-19 has a significant impact on the lives of adults living in urban communities around the world, especially in developing countries, where social inequalities are profound and where the ability to age locally is compromised by the lack of formal support for age in a healthy and active environment. This Project is urgently needed to understand the behavioural impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of older adults in the city, in order to develop effective and friendly community interventions for active ageing, covering different social contexts. In response to this, we will explore the experiences of older adults living in different regions of Brazil to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s physical, mental and social well-being. This project will contribute to the development of public policies in response to COVID-19 and future pandemics through interventions that offer resilient and age-friendly communities. Age-friendly communities need to be more receptive to rapid changes in urban contexts, to build places that promote individual, social and community resilience to COVID-19 and future health and humanitarian crises. The promotion of resilient environments that address physical, mental and social well-being is crucial to guarantee the health of older adults during a pandemic, thus reducing the costs of social assistance and possible institutionalization.