These Front-Line Workers Could Have Retired. They Risked Their Lives Instead.
An investigation by KHN and The Guardian shows that 329 health care workers age 65 or older have reportedly died of COVID-19.
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KFF Health News’ coverage of longevity and related health and social issues is supported in part by the Silver Century Foundation. Stories related to these topics are featured below. Click here for more on KFF Health News and its funders.
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Seniors Form COVID Pods to Ward Off Isolation This Winter
Older adults are deliberating what to do as days and nights turn chilly and coronavirus cases rise across the country. Some are forming “bubbles” with small groups of friends who agree on pandemic precautions and will see one another in person. Others are planning to go it alone.
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Despite COVID Concerns, Teams Venture Into Nursing Homes to Get Out the Vote
In North Carolina, staffs at nursing homes and assisted living facilities are prohibited by law from helping residents vote. So community members fill the gap, venturing into some of the places hit hardest by the coronavirus.
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Lifetime Experiences Help Older Adults Build Resilience to Pandemic Trauma
These seniors use coping strategies to keep them socially active yet safe from the coronavirus.
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A Pandemic Upshot: Seniors Are Having Second Thoughts About Where to Live
More than 70,000 residents and staff members at nursing homes and assisted living facilities have died of COVID-19, and others are under strict rules designed to keep the disease from spreading. That has evoked concern that living in a communal facility could be dangerous.
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New Dental Treatment Helps Fill Cavities and Insurance Gaps for Seniors
A new treatment for tooth decay is cheaper, quicker and less painful than getting a filling. Originally touted as a solution for kids, silver diamine fluoride is poised to become a game changer for treating cavities in older adults or those with disabilities that make oral care difficult.
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We Put Off Planning, Until My Father-in-Law’s Medical Crisis Took Us by Surprise
Although the family patriarch did not face a life-threatening emergency, the episode was a reminder that you have to prepare for a real crisis.
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Bereaved Families Are ‘the Secondary Victims of COVID-19’
New research suggests the pandemic’s deaths are taking an enormous toll on surviving family members and worrisome ripple effects may linger for years.
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Pandemic Hampers Reopening of Joint Replacement Gold Mine
The COVID-19 pandemic brought knee and hip replacements to a virtual halt because they aren’t usually considered emergency procedures. But they are profitable, and hospital systems are now counting on the surgeries to help restore their financial health.
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What Seniors Can Expect as Their New Normal in a Post-Vaccine World
Experts say folks 60 and up must continue to limit exposure in the years to come — even after there is a vaccine for COVID-19.
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Technology Divide Between Senior ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-Nots’ Roils Pandemic Response
Older adults with the ability to use technology have more access to virtual social interactions and telehealth services, and more opportunities to secure essential supplies online. Those who don’t know how to use it or can’t afford it are at greater risk of social isolation, forgoing medical care and being without food or other necessary items.
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States Allow In-Person Nursing Home Visits As Families Charge Residents Die ‘Of Broken Hearts’
Half the states are rolling back strict policies that have kept family members out of nursing homes because of fears of spreading the coronavirus.
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Life Beyond COVID Seclusion: Seniors See Challenges And Change Ahead
Some are grieving the loss of precious time in late life. Others are adjusting their ideas of what is possible and making the best of it.
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‘I Couldn’t Let Her Be Alone’: A Peaceful Death Amid the COVID Scourge
For three years, staffers at UCLA Health have been quietly fulfilling final wishes for dying patients in the intensive care unit. Amid the isolating forces of the pandemic, their work has become all the more meaningful.
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‘More Than Physical Health’: Gym Helps 91-Year-Old Battle Isolation
For Art Ballard, the local gym was like his second home. The 91-year-old former jeweler relied on his near-daily workouts to stay healthy and for social interaction. But when California instituted its stay-at-home order, Ballard’s physical health suffered. So did his mental health.
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Seniors In Low-Income Housing Live In Fear Of COVID Infection
On their own in dirty buildings with little guidance or support, vulnerable older residents worry about unchecked transmission of the potentially deadly virus. “We felt abandoned.”
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For Seniors, COVID-19 Sets Off A Pandemic Of Despair
The guidance to stay sheltered as society slowly reopens wears on older Americans, who have a growing sense of isolation and depression.
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Postcard From The Coachella Valley
Beyond The Glam: Feeding The Coachella Valley’s Most Vulnerable Residents
Poverty is real in the Coachella Valley, a region known for its glitzy resorts and music festival. During the COVID crisis, the California National Guard and California Conservation Corps are helping an area food bank distribute food to older residents and those with disabilities.
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As Deaths Mount, Coronavirus Testing Remains Wildly Inconsistent In Long-Term Care
Testing for COVID-19 varies widely across nursing homes and assisted living facilities, even within the same states and communities — increasing the risks for some of America’s most vulnerable seniors.
By Laura Ungar -
‘No Intubation’: Seniors Fearful Of COVID-19 Are Changing Their Living Wills
Still, medical experts say, it’s not a black-and-white decision of either go on a ventilator or die.