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The new era
Seniors are left with their own devices to protect themselves, while the rest of the country abandons precautions: “Americans disagree with the duty to protect others. “
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By Paula Span
At the beginning of December, Aldo Caretti evolved with a cough and, despite all his precautions, tested positive for Covid in a home test. It took a few days for his circle of relatives to convince M. Caretti, who didn’t like doctors, went to the hospital. emergency room. There he was sent directly to the intensive care unit.
Caretti and his wife, Consiglia, 85, lived quietly in a condominium in Plano, Texas. “He enjoyed reading and learning, in English and Italian,” said his son Vic Caretti, 49. “He adored his 3 grandchildren. “
Aldo Caretti had some fitness last year, plus a mild stroke and a severe episode of shingles, but “he recovered from all that. “
Covid different. Even on a ventilator, Mr. Caretti had difficulty breathing. After 10 days, “it’s not getting better,” said Vic Caretti, who arrived here from Salt Lake City. “His organs were starting to degrade. They said, ‘He’s not going to make it. »
At least, this far behind in the pandemic, families can be with their loved ones at the end of life. When the family agreed to take Caretti off the ventilator and provide him with convenience care, “he alerted, very aware of what is happening,” his son said. “He holds everyone’s hand. ” He died a few hours after Duer, on December 14 .
For older Americans, the pandemic still presents significant dangers. About three-quarters of covid deaths occurred in others over the age of 65, with the biggest losses concentrated in others over 75.
In January, the number of covid-related deaths dropped after a holiday peak, but there were still around 2100 among people aged 65-74, more than 3500 among people aged 75-84 and only about 5000 among people over 85. These 3 teams accounted for around 90% of Covid deaths in the country last month.
Hospital admissions, which have also declined, remain more than five times higher among other people over 70 than among other 50-year-olds. Hospitals can endanger elderly patients even when the conditions that brought them to them are properly treated; The destructive effects of drugs, inactivity, lack of sleep, delirium, and other stresses can take months or can send you back to the hospital.
“Covid prices are still very high,” said Julia Raifman, a public fitness policy specialist at Boston University School of Public Health and co-author of a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The demographic divide reflects a debate that continues as the pandemic progresses: What responsibility do low-threat people have to those at greatest threat, not only the elderly, but also those who are immunocompromised or chronically ill?
Should individuals, institutions, businesses and governments adopt strategies, such as masking, that help protect everyone while gaining benefits for the most vulnerable?
“Do we distribute them to the entire population? Dr. Raifman asked about these measures. “Or do we give this up and throw the chips where they can?”
Nancy Berlinger, a bioethicist and researcher at the Hastings Center, made a similar comment: “The basic questions about ethics are about what we owe to others, not just ourselves, not just our circle of family and friends.
Three years later, society’s reaction is clear: With vaccination mandates and masks more commonly ended, testing centers and clinics closed, and the federal public fitness emergency set to expire in May, seniors are alone.
“Americans don’t agree with duty to others, whether it’s a virus or gun violence,” Dr. Berlinger said.
Only 40. 8% of older people gained bivalent reinforcement. Some of those without solid coverage against infections, a CDC survey reported last month (though data suggests otherwise).
Others worry about side effects or are unsure of the effectiveness of the booster. Older people may also have difficulty locating vaccination sites, scheduling appointments (especially online), and visiting sites.
In nursing homes, where the first pandemic was so devastating, only 52% of citizens and 23% were up to date on vaccinations last month. At first, a successful federally funded crusade sent physical care personnel to nursing homes to administer initial doses of vaccine. Medicare has also made vaccination mandatoryArray
But for the boosters, nursing homes were allowed to expand theirs, or not.
“It certainly doesn’t make sense,” said David Grabowski, a professor of fitness policy at Harvard Medical School. “This is the organization that has the highest vaccination rate in the country. Everyone is very susceptible to it. “
Covid costs for older adults outweigh maximum excessive risks and come with limited activities, reduced lives, and ongoing isolation and its related risks.
In Hillsboro, Oregon, Billie Erwin, 75, feels vulnerable because she has type 1 diabetes. She and her husband have given up concerts and theatrical performances, indoor meals with friends, movies and volunteering. His book organization collapsed.
“We used to spend a lot of time on the Oregon coast,” Erwin said. But because this is an overnight stay, they have only been there twice in 3 years; annual visits to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival ended for the same reason.
Persistent restrictions have exacerbated the depression that Ms. Erwin also faces; Some days he doesn’t bother to get dressed.
“I’m disappointed that we don’t do to others as much as we should,” she said. “I don’t know if most people even think about it. “
Eleanor Bravo, 73, who lives in Corrales, N. M. , lost her sister to covid early in the pandemic; It was two years before the circle of relatives gathered for a memorial. “I had this huge concern that if I caught Covid, I would also die,” Bravo said.
He evolved from covid in July and recovered. But she and her spouse still avoid most cultural events, travel and restaurants. to build a memorial to the 9,000 new Mexicans who died from the virus.
Of course, many older Americans have also resumed their pre-pandemic routines. In Charlotte, North Carolina, Donna and David Bolls, 67, contracted covid in May, “the sickest I’ve ever been that I can remember,” Bolls said.
But then they went back to restaurants, concerts, shopping, their part-time retail task and the church choir, the masks. “It’s a threat I’m willing to take,” she said. I feel like I’m living my life. “my conditions, doing the things I have to do. “
While the political viability of mask, vaccine, or improving indoor air quality mandates is nil, policymakers and organizations can still take steps to protect the elderly (and immunocompromised) without forcing them to be hermits.
Health care systems, pharmacies, and government agencies can simply launch new vaccination campaigns in communities and nursing homes, adding cell clinics and home visits.
Remember the “senior hours” that some supermarkets instituted at the beginning of the pandemic, allowing older consumers to shop with fewer people and less exposure?Now, “public spaces are not available to other people involved in infections,” Dr. Raifman said.
They can also be simply. Markets, libraries and museums are likely to adopt safe masks dressed in hours. Many Off Broadway theaters already designate two or three masked performances each week; others would possibly follow. Steven Thrasher of “The Viral Underclass” hosted a masked e-book tour last fall with stops in 20 cities.
“Between the extremes of shutting everything down to mitigate transmission and doing nothing, a satisfied means,” Dr. Raifman said. “We can mitigate transmissions in a wise and inclusive way. “
However, Caretti, who found a grief organization to be useful, is met with comments from strangers in Salt Lake City because he wears a mask in public.
“I don’t think other people perceive how covid affects older Americans,” Caretti said with frustration. “In 2020, there’s this all-in-one vibe, and it’s annihilated. People just want to care about other people, man. ” It’s my soap box.
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