Apeejay professor publishes paper on how Covid-19 lockdown affected the elderly

Anuj Kumar, Assistant Professor, Apeejay School of Management (ASM), recently published a paper on the struggles of the elderly amid the pandemic-induced lockdown. The paper was co-authored by Dr Nishu Ayedee, Department of Marketing, Kingdom of Dreams, Gurugram.

Titled “Life under Covid-19 lockdown: An experience of old age people in India”, the paper has been published by Emerald. It highlights the pain and suffering that the elderly underwent during the Covid-19 lockdown, based on the information gathered through interviews and observations.

The paper suggests that the Covid-19 lockdown acted as a double-edged sword. While being restricted within the confines of their homes to prevent contracting the virus, the elderly faced “issues of anxiety, fear, and mental trauma”. They found difficulty in carrying out their daily activities which “hampered their mental strength”.

In the paper, the authors acknowledge the contributions of Professor Kumar’s parents Raj Pal Singh Nain and Mithlesh Chaudhary, and Nishu Ayedee’s late mother Anju Marwah—who succumbed to Covid during the second wave–for providing necessary inputs while drafting the paper.

“The paper is based on the findings during the first Covid-19 lockdown,” said Professor Kumar. “I interviewed my own parents and tried to understand their situation. My father, for instance, could not step out to attend morning prayers at the temple. During the lockdown, most of us kept ourselves busy with our mobile phones and laptops, but not the elderly. Besides, not many of them were used to credit or debit cards but could not go to the ATM or bank while being in quarantine. Not just this, they were also unable to socialise with friends which further impacted their mental health.”

“This is not just a research paper for me but something I am deeply connected to emotionally,” he added.

For Dr Ayedee, the paper is a “form of tribute” to her late mother, she said. It is an authentic reflection of the challenges her mother faced during the lockdown, which the researcher personally observed.