Adoption of strict social distancing and sanitary measures were inevitable in the attempt to thwart the spread of the Covid-19 virus. These measures, however, came at a cost for older adults who faced major mental health issues because of social isolation. The impact of social isolation remains well documented in the wake of the pandemic. This paper explored the lived experiences of older adults living in the community during the Covid-19 sanitary lockdown in the small-island state of Mauritius. As a small-island state with family structures that still skew towards extended or modified extended families, it was interesting to explore whether older adults would be reporting feelings of social isolation as was being reported elsewhere. This study utilized a qualitative approach using a lifeworld hermeneutical approach with 15 older adult participants, recruited through convenience and snowball sampling, in the community. Data were collected using a narrative approach supplemented by an interview guide. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from transcribed and translated data. Six themes were discovered: Fears of the virus and fear of deprivation; Reliving and recreating bonds; Active contribution to family life; Being and feeling valued within the family; Rediscovering family time and family moments; and Fear of going back to ‘normal’. The study revealed positive experiences of the lockdown period characterised by an increase bonding in the family, deepening of familial bond, and increased value despite an initial apprehension of the lockdown. A renewed sense of purpose as well as deepening of bonds was reported by older adults. Some limitations in relation to data trustworthiness and respondents bias, however, could not be avoided since the study was carried out during sanitary lockdown period. The feelings of social isolation and depression reported by older adults who lived alone were not seen in this study, suggesting that the family structure may have a role to play in mitigating these effects. There would also be a need to explore similar small-island states or similar cultures where the effects of sanitary lockdowns may be different from current literature.

为了阻止 Covid-19 病毒的传播，不可避免地要采取严格的社会隔离和卫生措施。然而，这些措施对因社会孤立而面临重大心理健康问题的老年人来说是有代价的。在大流行之后，社会隔离的影响仍然有据可查。本文探讨了毛里求斯小岛国在 Covid-19 卫生封锁期间居住在社区的老年人的生活经历。作为一个家庭结构仍然偏向大家庭或改良大家庭的小岛屿国家，探索老年人是否会像其他地方所报告的那样报告社会孤立感是一件很有趣的事情。本研究采用定性方法，使用生活世界解释学方法，在社区中通过便利和滚雪球抽样招募了 15 名老年参与者。数据是使用叙述方法收集的，并辅以访谈指南。主题分析用于从转录和翻译的数据中识别主题。发现了六个主题：对病毒的恐惧和对剥夺的恐惧；重温和重建纽带；对家庭生活的积极贡献；在家庭中受到重视并感到受到重视；重新发现家庭时间和家庭时刻；害怕回到“正常”状态。该研究揭示了封锁期的积极经历，其特点是家庭联系增加、家庭纽带加深以及价值增加，尽管最初对封锁感到担忧。老年人报告了一种新的使命感以及深化的联系。然而，由于该研究是在卫生封锁期间进行的，因此无法避免与数据可信度和受访者偏见有关的一些局限性。独居老年人报告的社会孤立感和抑郁感在这项研究中没有出现，这表明家庭结构可能在减轻这些影响方面发挥作用。