1st Edition

Older Adults and COVID-19 Implications for Aging Policy and Practice

Edited By Edward Alan Miller Copyright 2021
    290 Pages
    by Routledge

    290 Pages
    by Routledge

    The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people throughout the world, either directly, due to exposure to the virus, or indirectly, due to measures taken to mitigate the virus’ effects. Older adults have been particularly hard hit, dying in disproportionately higher numbers, especially in long-term care facilities. Local, regional, and national government actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have thus served, in part, to shield older adults from the virus, though not without adverse side effects, including increased social isolation, enhanced economic risk, revealed ageism, delayed medical treatment, and challenges getting basic needs met. This book explores the myriad ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected older adults and their families, caregivers, and communities. It proposes policies and strategies for protecting and improving the lives of older people during the pandemic. It draws lessons for aging policy and practice more generally, given underlying challenges brought to the fore by government, provider, community, and individual responses to the pandemic.

    This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.

    1. Introduction: Protecting and Improving the Lives of Older Adults in the COVID-19 Era

    Edward Alan Miller

    Delivering Long-Term Services and Supports in the U.S.

    2. The Coronavirus and the Risks to the Elderly in Long-Term Care

    William Gardner, David States and Nicholas Bagley

    3. "We are Alone in This Battle": A Framework for a Coordinated Response to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes

    Liza L. Behrens and Mary D. Naylor

    4. COVID-19 Pandemic: Exacerbating Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Long-Term Services and Supports

    Tetyana P. Shippee, Odichinma Akosionu, Weiwen Ng, Mark Woodhouse, Yinfei Duan, Mai See Thao and John R. Bowblis

    5. The Unique Challenges Faced by Assisted Living Communities to Meet Federal Guidelines for COVID-19

    Debra Dobbs, Lindsay Peterson and Kathryn Hyer

    Financing Long-Term Services and Supports in the U.S.

    6. Emergency Flexibility for States to Increase and Maintain Medicaid Eligibility for LTSS under COVID-19

    Lynn A. Blewett and Robert Hest

    7. COVID-19 and the Future of Long-Term Care: The Urgency of Enhanced Federal Financing

    Judy Feder

    Long-Term Services and Supports in Other Contexts

    8. COVID-19 and Long-Term Care Policy for Older People in Canada

    Daniel Béland and Patrik Marier

    9. COVID-19: Implications for the Support of People with Social Care Needs in England

    Adelina Comas-Herrera, Jose-Luis Fernandez, Ruth Hancock, Chris Hatton, Martin Knapp, David McDaid, Juliette Malley, Gerald Wistow and Raphael Wittenberg

    10. COVID-19 and Long-Term Care Policy for Older People in Hong Kong

    Terry Lum, Cheng Shi, Gloria Wong and Kayla Wong

    High Risk Older Adults in Communities

    11. Who are the Most At-Risk Older Adults in the COVID-19 Era? It’s Not Just Those in Nursing Homes

    Marc A. Cohen and Jane Tavares

    12. Meeting the Transitional Care Needs of Older Adults with COVID-19

    Mary D. Naylor, Karen B. Hirschman and Kathleen McCauley

    13. The Unique Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults in Rural Areas

    Carrie Henning-Smith

    Families and Caregivers of Older Adults

    14. The Demographics and Economics of Direct Care Staff Highlight Their Vulnerabilities Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Beth Almeida, Marc A. Cohen, Robyn I. Stone and Christian E. Weller

    15. Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Meaningful Communication between Family Caregivers and Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities is Imperative

    Edem Hado and Lynn Friss Feinberg

    16. Intergenerational Relationships, Family Caregiving Policy, and COVID-19 in the United States

    Jeffrey E. Stokes and Sarah E. Patterson

    17. Bereavement in the Time of Coronavirus: Unprecedented Challenges Demand Novel Interventions

    Deborah Carr, Kathrin Boerner and Sara Moorman

    Local and Community Responses

    18. Fast-track Innovation: Area Agencies on Aging Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Traci L. Wilson, Marisa Scala-Foley, Suzanne R. Kunkel and Amanda L. Brewster

    19. Local Government Efforts to Mitigate the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic among Older Adults

    Jacqueline L. Angel and Stipica Mudrazija

    20. A Framework for Aging-Friendly Services and Supports in the Age of COVID-19

    Geoffrey J. Hoffman, Noah J. Webster and Julie P. W. Bynum

    21. When Going Digital Becomes a Necessity: Ensuring Older Adults’ Needs for Information, Services, and Social Inclusion During COVID-19

    Bo Xie, Neil Charness, Karen Fingerman, Jeffrey Kaye, Miyong T. Kim, and Anjum Khurshid

    Economic Risks to Older Workers and Retirees

    22. Older Workers on the COVID-19-Frontlines without Paid Sick Leave

    Teresa Ghilarducci and Aida Farmand

    23. Older Adults and the Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Yang Li and Jan E Mutchler

    24. Unclaimed Defined Benefit Pensions Can Help COVID-19 Economic Recovery

    Anna-Marie Tabor

    Documenting and Combating Ageism

    25. The COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes Limited Understanding of Ageism

    Laurinda Reynolds

    26. Not Only Virus Spread: The Diffusion of Ageism during the Outbreak of COVID-19

    Federica Previtali, Laura D. Allen and Maria Varlamova

    27. Six Propositions against Ageism in the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Hans-Joerg Ehni and Hans-Werner Wahl

    Recovery

    28. Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Focus on Older Adults

    Nancy Morrow-Howell, Natalie Galucia and Emma Swinford

    Biography

    Edward Alan Miller is a Professor of Gerontology & Public Policy and Fellow, Gerontology Institute, at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy & Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA, and Adjunct Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice at the School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, USA. His research focuses on understanding the determinants and effects of public policies and practices affecting older adults in need of long-term services and supports. He is author/co-author/editor/co-editor of more than 125 journal articles, 15 book chapters, and 5 books. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy, and Fellow within the Gerontological Society of America.