Older Americans Month: How You Can Help Protect Their Health
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May is Older Americans Month.
When President John F. Kennedy designated May as “Senior Citizens Month” in 1963, approximately 17 million Americans were age 65 or older.(1) Today, that number is 45 million.(2) It’s a demographic comparable in size to the population of Argentina.(3)
Who are Older Adults?
Older adults are our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and neighbors. They are also essential and valued members of our communities and an at-risk population whose unique needs–if unmet–can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. This is the case with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Older Adults and COVID-19
A weakened immune response can make it harder for older adults to fight off infections.(1) Older adults are also more likely to have serious, underlying medical conditions that can make illness from COVID-19 more severe.
There are some simple and straightforward steps that older adults can take to reduce the risk of getting sick. These steps include staying home, having essential items delivered, limiting travel to essential errands, frequent handwashing, and keeping surfaces clean and disinfected.
How the community can protect older adults
People who are regularly involved in each other’s lives can be better prepared and able to help others, such as neighbors, during stressful times. Think about the older adults in your life and what you and your community can do to prepare and protect them.
- Call, email, text, or video chat with loved ones often. They may be feeling lonely, anxious, or stressed, and will appreciate your listening to them. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children.
- Wear a cloth face covering and keep at least 6 feet of physical distance from others when you leave home.
- Check on (from a physical distance of at least 6 feet) family, friends, and neighbors to make sure they have enough supplies. Offer to go grocery shopping or to pick-up prescriptions for sick or higher-risk family members, friends, and neighbors.
- Help to set up mail-order delivery of prescriptions and to schedule telehealth appointments.
- Share facts and help explain prevention tips. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy found that 71 percent of adults older than age 60 had difficulty in using print materials, 80 percent had difficulty using documents such as forms or charts, and 68 percent had difficulty with interpreting numbers and doing calculations.(5)
- Schedule a video chat to demonstrate how to make and properly wear a cloth face covering. In fact, the older adults in your life may be able to teach you a thing or two if sewing is not a practical skill that you have.
- COVID-19 is not the only thing endangering older adults. Scammers are taking advantage of fears surrounding COVID-19. Help the older adults in your life learn how to avoid misinformation, rumor, and scams.
- Older adults with dementia or other conditions that involve a full-time caregiver may not have have the luxury of being able to physically distance themselves from their caregiver. Such caregivers should routinely monitor their temperature on a daily basis and consider wearing a mask when caring for these older adults.
Get more tips on how to how to create community in an emergency.
Resources
- People Who Are at Higher Risk: Older Adults
- Prepare Your Health: Care for Each Other
- Severe Outcomes Among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) — United States, February 12–March 16, 2020
- Consequences of Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older Adults
- Stress and Coping
References
(2) https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/about/info-2018/aarp-livable-communities-preparing-for-an-aging-nation.html
Thanks in advance for your questions and comments on this Public Health Matters post. Please note that the CDC does not give personal medical advice. If you are concerned you have a disease or condition, talk to your doctor.
Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.
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