Social participation in Day Care Centers for Older People in the City of Buenos Aires: The Pandemic and Post-pandemic Effects

Abstract

The Day Care Centers Program for older people, which depends on the Government of Buenos Aires City, resumed their functions in 2022 after the end of the social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the reopening, some services were reduced, causing certain barriers to access for its attendees. Buenos Aires City is the most aged district in Argentina, with 22% of people aged 60 and over. In a context of high inflation and poverty growth in Argentina, this City has a lower rate of unmet needs, but it is crossed by severe inequalities, especially in the southern area, which is characterized by a high percentage of multidimensional poverty. The aim of this article is to find out opinions of older people attending the Day Care Centers on social participation, the social isolation imposed by the government, and the use of digital technologies. Based on an exploratory and qualitative design, 17 in-depth interviews were conducted during November and December 2023 with people over 60 years, of both sexes in two Day Care Centers in the southern area of the City.