Taking Charge: Social Support Dynamics among Older Adults and Their Significant Others in COVID-19 Vaccination and Mitigation Efforts
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. The Intersection of Ageism and COVID-19
1.2. Health Locus of Control and COVID-19
1.3. Older Adults, Social Networks, and Health Behaviors
1.4. Purpose and Rationale
2. Methods
2.1. Source of Data and Procedures
2.2. Participants
2.3. Qualitative Analysis
2.4. Findings: Social Supports Encouraged Vaccinations
And my daughter that lives in North Carolina called me to say, “Mom, I took it. I think you need to take it too”. So those was [sic] the factors that point [sic] me in the direction to go ahead and take the vaccine.
In the beginning, I wasn’t [convinced]. And then I had a friend, she convinced me, um, also to take it.
Well, the first time I heard about it was on TV. So I said to myself, I’m not putting that in my body. I’m not doing that. So one of my nurses, my niece is a nurse, registered nurse, and she called me and she told me, you don’t have to worry about it… So I said, I’ll think about it. So what I did, I called my two sons and we did like a three-way on the phone. I don’t know how to do it, but they did it… everybody’s dying from it and everybody’s getting sick and all my nieces and nephews, because my mother had 13 children. I’m number 12. So we all got together on the phones and stuff like that. And on this, you have to get it, you know, we don’t want anything to happen to you. Yeah. And my two sons, we all got together and I said, okay, I’m going to do it. So we had it done here at the center, the first and second shot.
Everybody around me was getting the vaccine. I was the only one, if they’re denying and everybody else went and got it and nothing happened to them. And I said, well, let me try then.
2.5. Evaluation of Vaccine Information and Motivations for Taking the Jab
Well, when I first heard of the vaccine, I had mixed feelings. I was worried about, like so many other people, about how fast it was developed.
There were many tales and myths about the COVID vaccines at that time. A lot of different experts at the time would say different things. At first, an expert said something could go wrong with the vaccine. The second expert said that unless the body is ill, it is fine. There is no certainty.
They said after the third dose, your genes might be altered. We know so little about it. Even if it is actually mutating our genes, there is nothing we could do since we already got our shots, ha ha ha. We know so little about genes. What could we do?
I was worried. I told him that the two of us should get the dose separately. So if you’re not feeling well, I can take care of you. If I take the shot first and I’m not feeling well, you can take care of me. He said he would take it first. Then you should do it later. All I am saying is that if two people took the shot together and they both felt sick, they couldn’t take care of each other. They would lay down and suffer.
To protect the younger people. We old people are fine with dying. I have lived long enough. I just do not want to infect other people. That was why I chose to get vaccinated.
I’ve taken vaccine for hepatitis because I was working in healthcare and hepatitis many years ago was a high risk for people working in, in a health profession. And we were vaccinated to guard against contracting, um, hepatitis. And also as an adult, I’ve taken vaccines for pneumococcal infection, so to defend that, so I’ve taken the flu vaccine as well. So I said to myself right now, there’s no cure for what’s going on right now. And the only way that I could see me safeguarding myself or protecting myself and my mother was supposed to be vaccinated. And that’s why I convinced myself that it’s worth the risk.
We older people are fine with dying. However, I do not want to go to public places to infect others. I do not want to infect the living people before I die.
I didn’t think twice about it because I know that in my volunteer work, I go places when I deal with the homeless population and I wanted to continue my volunteer work. So I know that I was going to, there was some hesitancy. I was going to take that vaccine because viruses, they don’t stay the same.
Why do I wear a mask? Not just to protect me, but to protect the people around me. Um, you know, too people and... too many people is making it about themselves and not about what it is, you know? And sometimes I have to remind people when I’m talking to them, this is not just a right here thing. It’s an all-over-the-world thing. Remember the whole world was shut down. You know, this is not just about you or us. It’s about them.
2.6. Stepping Forward: Older Adults as Health Advocates and Sources of Support
My youngest son wasn’t going to do it. And I remind him, “you have asthma, baby, you know. That virus hit your lungs, you don’t know what happened to you. Do you know, your asthma, baby, you used to smoke, you don’t know the condition of your lungs. Now don’t do that to yourself. You know?”
My son has not taken the vaccine up until now… Everybody’s took it [sic], but he refused to take it. [He said] “Oh mommy, you took it and you got COVID twice” and I say, “Okay, well maybe if you take it, you will get it three times. I got it twice, if you take it, you will get it three times. But as I said it worked in a great way and because I’m still alive today. I got it twice and I survived it. And here I am, and it was because of the vaccine”.
We guided my son so that he could take the vaccine. He’s, he’s not that old, but he’s not that young either, 30-something, 37. Uh, and he was pretty reluctant, right? But when we got vaccinated and we told him that the vaccine is just like giving you get a vaccine like, like any other. He got vaccinated a few months ago.
And when I asked him [her son] whether he was going to take the vaccine or not, his thing was to me, he said, “Mom, I don’t think so.” And I said, “Why not?” And he gave me some crazy excuse, and I said, “Wait a minute… listen, that does not make sense to me. Think about it… because God forbid that you should contract the virus. I would not be able even to come and see you. It wouldn’t be even worth me coming to where you live to call me because I couldn’t see you. They’re not going to let me come in upstairs. And the same thing with myself.” And I said, “I will not want anything to ever separate us from not being able to be together”.
My grandson, he’s in college, down in Alabama. He made me so angry with him. And he did contract COVID while he was in college, you know? So I made him promise me that he would take the vaccine. So what does he do? He said, “Grandma, I’ll always keep my promises with you, but this was one I’m not going to do.” So I said this to him. “Then if you get sick don’t come nowhere near me, you know?” And he said, “Grandma”, I said, “No, no.” I said, “I really mean that, you know?” And so now he told me to go, “Grandma, I’ll think about it”.
I went the other day in the elevator and came to the other floor. A young fellow did not wear a mask. I ask[ed] if he was a worker from here. He said yes... I told him you have to use masks in the hallway, in the elevator. “Okay, for you.” I offered him masks. He opened the package and he took the mask.
2.7. Ambassadors of Altruism
It was one person I asked her and she said, “I’m not going. I’m not going.” I said, “Well, if you was still working at the nursing home, you would have to take it or you lose your job! You’ve got to protect the residents there”.
Do the best we can. Those who are our friends, we let them know that this is a safe way, that’s the way to go.
There were still some that were hesitant, it was quite a few then was waiting to see. They weren’t all jumping to get it and I said, I explained to them that I already took it and that I’m feeling fine and, and some of them were convinced to go ahead and, you know, take the vaccine.
I have been to the Middle East, India, Pakistan, the Holy Land. I always had to take shots. And I am telling all the people—I am telling my Muslim counterparts—when you go to the Holy Land, you need to take shots
I’m going to tell you if I come across anybody who’s talking nonsense about the vaccine “Shut your mouth go take your vaccine and protect yourself.” I’ve heard concerns about people talking about turning monkey and donkey at this one and nonsense, you know, all over the place. Why? Take a vaccine, take the vaccine if it’s, if it’s beneficial to you. They wouldn’t call me to tell me nonsense like that because I won’t entertain it, you know? I wouldn’t, I would come meet with you at [the] door. Go to you, have to take a vaccine.
Well, I have a friend who said that he really wanted to get vaccinated, but where they live is not as good as we are here. They asked me to help them register on the website and get vaccinated… They don’t know how to use the Internet. I taught them.
3. Discussion
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Demographic Group | N | % |
---|---|---|
U.S.-Born Black | 22 | 28 |
U.S.-Born White | 8 | 10 |
West Indian/Caribbean | 6 | 8 |
Chinese Speakers | 9 | 12 |
Hispanic/Latinx | 21 | 27 |
Russian Speakers | 11 | 14 |
Total | 77 | 100 |
Themes | Sub-Themes |
---|---|
Social Supports Encouraged Vaccinations |
|
Vaccination and Concern for Others’ Safety |
|
Stepping Forward: Older Adults as Health Advocates and Sources of Support |
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Ambassadors of Altruism |
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Share and Cite
Brennan-Ing, M.; Wu, Y.; Manalel, J.A.; Finkelstein, R. Taking Charge: Social Support Dynamics among Older Adults and Their Significant Others in COVID-19 Vaccination and Mitigation Efforts. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 4869. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20064869
Brennan-Ing M, Wu Y, Manalel JA, Finkelstein R. Taking Charge: Social Support Dynamics among Older Adults and Their Significant Others in COVID-19 Vaccination and Mitigation Efforts. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(6):4869. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20064869
Chicago/Turabian StyleBrennan-Ing, Mark, Yiyi Wu, Jasmine A. Manalel, and Ruth Finkelstein. 2023. "Taking Charge: Social Support Dynamics among Older Adults and Their Significant Others in COVID-19 Vaccination and Mitigation Efforts" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 6: 4869. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20064869