The covid-19 pandemic is casting a shadow over the lives of seniors and their caregivers in the United States, even as many others make the decision to go ahead and resume their general activities. Even President Joe Biden said “the pandemic is over. “In a recent interview, a debatable one he then tried to clarify.
Judith Graham, a columnist for KHN’s “Navigating Aging,” invited a panel of experts from across the country to speak candidly about the demanding and insurmountable situations facing seniors.
Millions of Americans have lost loved ones or suffered a deterioration in their fitness during the pandemic. Many suffer from ongoing pain or the crippling effects of prolonged covid. And anxiety, depression, and social isolation remain constant threats to mental fitness.
Graham hosted an event on October 11, organized through KHN and John A Foundation. Hartford.
The wide-ranging verbal exchange covered topics such as: Confusion about the current state of the pandemic remains endemic. Are continued precautions justified?Should seniors get reminders?Should they continue to wear masks and under what circumstances?What types of social interactions are safe and which are not?How can seniors and their caregivers better protect themselves in the coming months, adding vacations?
Watch the discussion to hear Dr. Brown’s ideas. Sharon Brangman, Distinguished Professor of Geriatric Medicine at State University Hospital of New York-Upstate; Kathryn Haslanger, who heads the Jewish Association for Senior Services, or JASA, one of New York’s largest social service agencies; Jessica Kelley, editor of the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, who has published extensively on covid and seniors; Dr. Eran Metzger, Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry at Hebrew SeniorLife; Dr. Céline Gounder, epidemiologist, infectious disease specialist, senior scientist and public fitness editor at KFF and KHN; and Richard Gard, a longtime music teacher at Yale who retired to live with a long covid.
This article was reprinted from khn. org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent fitness policy studies organization that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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