The walks of the elderly through their neighborhoods of residence in Santiago, Chile

Se presentan los resultados de una investigación que buscó conocer los efectos que tiene el entorno urbano en la caminata de las personas mayores. Para ello se entrevistó a 40 caminantes mayores pertenecientes a cuatro barrios de la comuna de Santiago, aplicando dos técnicas: una entrevista en profundidad para conocer el perfil psicosocial de los/as caminantes y una "entrevista caminando" para acompañar rutas cotidianas en los entornos donde transitan estas personas. La información se analizó cualitativamente y se construyeron tres ejes categoriales donde se organizaron los principales resultados. Se concluye que la pandemia impacta negativamente la vida de las personas mayores impidiendo la caminata e intensificando las experiencias de soledad y aislamiento. Vivir en barrios de larga permanencia produce efectos beneficiosos para las personas mayores, permitiendo vincularse a los espacios desde la memoria y las trayectorias colectivas.This article presents the results of a research that aims to understand the effects that the urban environment has on the walking of older persons. With this aim, 40 elderly walkers who live in four neighbourhoods of the local borough of Santiago (Chile) were interviewed, applying two techniques: an in-depth interview to know the psychosocial profile of the walkers and a "walking interview" to accompany older people in their daily routes in the environments where they walk. The information was analysed qualitatively and three categorical axes were constructed around which the main results were organized. It is concluded that the pandemic negatively impacts the lives of older persons by hindering their walking and intensifying experiences of loneliness and isolation. Living in neighborhoods for many years generates beneficial effects for older people, allowing them to link to spaces from memory and collective trajectories