By Joe Wilmoth, professor, Human Development and Family Science
Older adults in the U. S. have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, it is important to consider the challenges characteristic of older adults, possible strengths they can use, and ways family members can respond to these challenges.
The CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index…) identifies older people as being at higher risk for severe illness from the coronavirus disease, with 8 out of 10 deaths reported nationally being among adults age 65 or older. The risk increases with age. For example, a 50-year-old is at higher risk than a 30-year-old, and an 85-year-old is at higher risk than a 60-year-old.
One of the reasons for increased vulnerability among older adults is the greater likelihood of additional underlying medical problems. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 85% of adults over age 65 have at least one chronic health condition (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or asthma). More than half have two or more chronic conditions (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/health_policy/adult_chronic_conditions.htm).
These challenges are made worse by social isolation and loneliness, which are linked to emotional and physical problems, including a higher risk of death (https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/social-isolation-loneliness-older-people-p…; https://www.hrsa.gov/enews/past-issues/2019/january-17/loneliness-epide…). Nursing homes have been hit especially hard.
Although older adults are at higher risk in general, they aren’t all alike. Some 85-year-olds are healthier than some 65-year-olds. Some are mentally and physically frail, and others are healthy, active, and technologically savvy. However, it still is advisable for all older people to be diligent about following guidelines such as social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing hands regularly and thoroughly. For those with underlying health problems, staying home still is the healthiest option.
With this kind of isolation, vulnerable older adults may need extra help from family members, friends, and religious communities. For susceptible parents that resist the idea of staying at home, children may need to urge them to take these precautions. (https://today.duke.edu/2020/03/how-support-older-relatives-during-covid….)
It also is important to maintain regular contact with anyone that is isolating themselves, including those in nursing homes. Phone calls, virtual meetings, texts, letters and cards, etc. can remind them they are loved and not alone. It also can make it easier for older adults to stay at home if someone will pick up groceries and prescriptions, mow the yard, and take care of other chores. Discussing virus myths spread through social media also might be advisable.
Despite increased risks for older adults, there is reason to believe they may have some strengths in dealing with the social and emotional aspects of the pandemic. Though it certainly is not true of everyone, individuals tend to develop a “positivity” bias as they grow older (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3459016/#:~:text=The%20%E2…). They tend to focus more on positive things, and negative experiences and memories have less impact.
Another factor that can encourage resiliency is a “big-picture” perspective. Many older adults have lived through a World War, unimaginable technological, political, economic, and social changes, and other stressful events. Having survived such difficulties can lead to a “been-there, done-that” attitude that makes a challenge such as the pandemic less threatening.
Older people, on average, also tend to be more religious than younger generations. Higher levels of religiosity have been linked to better emotional and physical health in a number of studies (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6319229/; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827316300179).
The coronavirus pandemic is especially threatening to older adults. However, internal strengths and external supports can help them survive and thrive.