Sepúlveda-Loyola et al. (2020) examine the effects of social exclusion on the psychological and physical well-being of the elderly throughout the COVID-19 epidemic and provide suggestions to patients and care providers. Sadarangani et al. (2022) outline the COVID-19 pandemic’s overwhelming but little-understood consequences on elderly people receiving care at Adult Day Services Centers (ADSCs).
Considering that older persons are at a greater risk for negative impacts of social isolation, like deteriorating physical problems, cognitive dysfunction, depressed mood, injuries, and growing fragility, this prolonged isolation is particularly troubling. Widespread epidemics of COVID-19 were recorded in care facilities across the globe, impacting not just the patients, but also the care personnel and guests. Because of their older age and the prevalence of underlying conditions, the residents at long-term care institutions constitute a disadvantaged population that might benefit from further anti-contamination efforts.
Several suggestions have been made to help manage disease transmission in long-term care centers based on analyses of past influenza outbreaks and their effects on nursing homes. Even if substantial measures have been taken to safeguard citizens, the responsiveness to this healthcare problem must be enhanced to prevent future loss of life. A lack of formal guidelines and rules in the event of natural catastrophes for senior shelters across the globe contributed to the tragic results within nursing care facilities. Adoption of a screening strategy for inhabitants, including continuous monitoring for signs and regular tests and screening of employees who provide care services for residents on a routine basis. Whenever a reported case of COVID-19 is found, urgent infection control and prevention actions must be taken (Sepúlveda-Loyola et al., 2020). Every nursing home must gather facility-based information, preferably using an integrated computerized system for monitoring and tracking the health condition of the residents and staff.
To prevent excursions to the food store or drugstore, the elderly may stock up on non-perishable foodstuffs, personal care items, and prescriptions that will last a long time. Elderly folks or those with underlying problems must be urged to minimize interaction with others, particularly avoiding grocery shops, communal spaces like the kitchen and shared restrooms in the home, and, if feasible, abstaining from sharing a bed with other family members. Even though these approaches minimize the spread of COVID-19 among older persons, they simultaneously increase loneliness and distress. Additionally, nursing facilities must be pushed to offer paid sick leave so that workers do not attend work when ill out of fear of being fired or wages (Sadarangani et al., 2022). Staff members who report to work when unwell represent a significant danger to elderly patients.
These research articles are relevant to the advocacy for equality in nursing homes, and the COVID-19 pandemic clearly indicates that this area requires improvement. As an economically and socially deprived population, elderly adults face more challenges to receiving health care services; inequities like poor income and absence of insurance are deciding forces in limiting the elderly’s health care utilization. U.S. older individuals who have encountered prejudice in a healthcare environment are more prone to have lower general health, endure economic challenges, and are unhappy with their treatment compared to people who are not subjected to inequality. Older adults with low socioeconomic levels are likely to be at risk of not obtaining health care and experiencing unfulfilled health requirements, particularly those residing in healthcare resource-limited situations. In addition to being exceedingly expensive, nursing homes frequently have a reputation for providing subpar services. Most nursing facilities deal with staffing shortages that might lead to patient maltreatment or neglect. Since residents generally have poor psychological or physical states, they cannot assist themselves when treated unfairly.
References
Sadarangani, T. R., Gaugler, J. E., Dabelko-Schoeny, H., & Marx, K. A. (2022). Adult day services, health equity for older adults with complex needs, and the COVID-19 pandemic. American Journal of Public Health, 112(10), 1421–1428. Web.
Sepúlveda-Loyola, W., Rodríguez-Sánchez, I., Pérez-Rodríguez, P., Ganz, F., Torralba, R., Oliveira, D. V., & Rodríguez-Mañas, L. (2020). Impact of social isolation due to COVID-19 on health in older people: Mental and physical effects and recommendations. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 24(9), 938–947. Web.