1st Edition
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Older Adults Experiences, Impacts, and Innovations
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life globally through virus-related mortality and morbidity and the social and economic impacts of actions taken to stop the virus’ spread. It became evident early on during the pandemic that older adults are especially vulnerable to morbidity and mortality from COVID-19, and the adverse consequences of strategies taken to mitigate its effects. While no more likely to become infected than younger populations, the risk for hospitalization and death rises considerably with age. Residents of long-term care facilities have been among the hardest hit. The pandemic has brought many facets of ageism to the fore. Community stay-at-home messages, lockdowns, social distancing requirements, and visitation restrictions contributed to a concomitant epidemic in social isolation and loneliness. Economic and social impacts have been dramatic; so too has been the disproportionate hardship experienced by members of racial and ethnic minority communities.
This book reports original empirical research and perspectives on the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the older adult population, and draws lessons for policy, research, and practice. Key issues pertaining to the impact of COVID-19 on older adults and their families, caregivers, and communities are highlighted. Four main areas are examined: personal experiences with COVID-19; long-term care system impacts; end-of-life care; and technology and innovation.
The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.
Part 1: Introduction
1. Shining a Spotlight: The Ramifications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Older Adults
Edward Alan Miller
Part 2: Personal Experiences
2. Coronavirus-Related Anxiety, Social Isolation, and Loneliness in Older Adults in Northern California during the Stay-at-Home Order
Laura Gaeta and Christopher R. Brydges
3. Pandemic Place: Assessing Domains of the Person-Place Fit Measure for Older Adults (PPFM-OA) during COVID-19
Joyce Weil
4. The Impact of Stigmatization on Social Avoidance and Fear of Disclosure among Older People: Implications for Social Policy Preparedness in a Public Health Crisis
Jiannan Li, Chulan Huang, Bocong Yuan, and Haixuan Liang
5. Old Overnight: Experiences of Age-Based Recommendations in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sweden
Gabriella Nilsson, Lisa Ekstam, Anna Axmon, and Janicke Andersson
6. Living Through the COVID-19 Pandemic: Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Experiences
Bo Xie, Kristina Shiroma, Atami Sagna De Main, Nathan W Davis, Karen Fingerman, and Valerie Danesh
7. "We Are Saving Their Bodies and Destroying Their Souls.": Family Caregivers’ Experiences of Formal Care Setting Visitation Restrictions during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Whitney A. Nash, Lesley M. Harris, Kimberly E. Heller, and Brandon D. Mitchell
Part 3: Long-Term Care System Impacts
8. Prevalence of COVID-19 in Ohio Nursing Homes: What’s Quality Got to Do with It?
John Bowblis and Robert Applebaum
9. The Impact of COVID-19 on Nursing Homes in Italy: The Case of Lombardy
Marco Arlotti and Costanzo Ranci
10. COVID-19 and Long-Term Care Policy for Older People in Japan
Margarita Estévez-Abe and Hiroo Ide
11. The Impact of COVID-19 on Social Isolation in Long-term Care Homes: Perspectives of Policies and Strategies from Six Countries
Charlene H. Chu, Jing Wang, Chie Fukui, Sandra Staudacher, Patrick A. Wachholz, and Bei Wu
12. COVID-19 Pandemic and Resilience of the Transnational Home-Based Elder Care System between Poland and Germany
Magdalena Nowicka, Susanne Bartig, Theresa Schwass, and Kamil Matuszczyk
Part 4: End-of-Life Care
13. Rethinking the Role of Advance Care Planning in the Context of Infectious Disease
Sara Moorman, Kathrin Boerner, and Deborah Carr
14. Palliative Care for Older Adults with Multimorbidity in the Time of COVID 19
Victoria D. Powell and Maria J. Silveira
Part 5: Technology and Innovation
15. Cross-Border Medical Services for Hong Kong’s Older Adults in Mainland China: The Implications of COVID-19 for the Future of Telemedicine
Genghua Huang, Yin Ma, and Zhaiwen Peng
16. Telephone-Based Emotional Support for Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Liora Bar-Tur, Michal Inbal-Jacobson, Sharon Brik-Deshen, Yael Zilbershlag, Sigal Pearl Naim, and Yitzhak Brick
17. Technology Recommendations to Support Person-Centered Care in Long-Term Care Homes during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
Charlene H. Chu, Charlene Ronquillo, Shehroz Khan, Lillian Hung, and Veronique Boscart
18. Redesigning Memory Care in the COVID-19 Era: Interdisciplinary Spatial Design Interventions to Minimize Social Isolation in Older Adults
Farhana Ferdous
Biography
Edward Alan Miller is Professor and Chair, Department of Gerontology, and Fellow, Gerontology Institute, at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy & Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, and Adjunct Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice at the School of Public Health, Brown University. His research focuses on understanding the determinants and effects of public policies and practices affecting older adults in need of long-term services and support. He is author/co-author/editor/co-editor of more than 134 journal articles, 21 book chapters, and 6 books. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy, and Fellow within the Gerontological Society of America.