Qualidade de Vida de Idosos em Comunidade na Pandemia de COVID-19: O caso do Projeto Lado a Lado

Within the scope of the Lado a Lado Project, developed in the rural area of the parish of Tavira during the COVID-19 pandemic, the aim was to evaluate changes in the perception of quality of life, depression, and social network support. An evaluation process for the Project was designed, with data collected at two points in time: a) the first period took place between November 2019 and March 2020, involving 59 participants; b) the second period occurred between May and September 2022, with data collected from 102 participants. This study was quantitative, exploratory, descriptive, comparative, and correlational. The data collection instrument consisted of a form integrating a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Project’s evaluation, the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale, the Lubben Brief Social Network Scale, and the WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire, all in their Portuguese versions. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-IBM25 software. The results reveal a decline in depressive symptoms among the participants, despite the pandemic context and the changes it implied for the initially planned intervention within the Project. The perceived quality of life indicator was also positive, particularly in terms of autonomy, activities, social participation, death and dying, intimacy, and family life. The participants positively appreciated the Project.