Description

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people throughout the world, either directly, due to exposure to the virus, or indirectly, due to measures taken to mitigate the virus’ effects. Older adults have been particularly hard hit, dying in disproportionately higher numbers, especially in long-term care facilities. Local, regional, and national government actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have thus served, in part, to shield older adults from the virus, though not without adverse side effects, including increased social isolation, enhanced economic risk, revealed ageism, delayed medical treatment, and challenges getting basic needs met. This book explores the myriad ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected older adults and their families, caregivers, and communities. It proposes policies and strategies for protecting and improving the lives of older people during the pandemic. It draws lessons for aging policy and practice more generally, given underlying challenges brought to the fore by government, provider, community, and individual responses to the pandemic.
 
This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.
 
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Protecting and Improving the Lives of Older Adults in the COVID-19 Era
Edward Alan Miller
Delivering Long-Term Services and Supports in the U.S.
2. The Coronavirus and the Risks to the Elderly in Long-Term Care
William Gardner, David States and Nicholas Bagley
3. “We are Alone in This Battle”: A Framework for a Coordinated Response to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
Liza L. Behrens and Mary D. Naylor
4. COVID-19 Pandemic: Exacerbating Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Long-Term Services and Supports
Tetyana P. Shippee, Odichinma Akosionu, Weiwen Ng, Mark Woodhouse, Yinfei Duan, Mai See Thao and John R. Bowblis
5. The Unique Challenges Faced by Assisted Living Communities to Meet Federal Guidelines for COVID-19
Debra Dobbs, Lindsay Peterson and Kathryn Hyer
Financing Long-Term Services and Supports in the U.S.
6. Emergency Flexibility for States to Increase and Maintain Medicaid Eligibility for LTSS under COVID-19
Lynn A. Blewett and Robert Hest
7. COVID-19 and the Future of Long-Term Care: The Urgency of Enhanced Federal Financing
Judy Feder
Long-Term Services and Supports in Other Contexts
8. COVID-19 and Long-Term Care Policy for Older People in Canada
Daniel Béland and Patrik Marier
9. COVID-19: Implications for the Support of People with Social Care Needs in England
Adelina Comas-Herrera, Jose-Luis Fernandez, Ruth Hancock, Chris Hatton, Martin Knapp, David McDaid, Juliette Malley, Gerald Wistow and Raphael Wittenberg
10. COVID-19 and Long-Term Care Policy for Older People in Hong Kong
Terry Lum, Cheng Shi, Gloria Wong and Kayla Wong
High Risk Older Adults in Communities
11. Who are the Most At-Risk Older Adults in the COVID-19 Era? It’s Not Just Those in Nursing Homes
Marc A. Cohen and Jane Tavares
12. Meeting the Transitional Care Needs of Older Adults with COVID-19
Mary D. Naylor, Karen B. Hirschman and Kathleen McCauley
13. The Unique Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults in Rural Areas
Carrie Henning-Smith
Families and Caregivers of Older Adults
14. The Demographics and Economics of Direct Care Staff Highlight Their Vulnerabilities Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
Beth Almeida, Marc A. Cohen, Robyn I. Stone and Christian E. Weller
15. Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Meaningful Communication between Family Caregivers and Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities is Imperative
Edem Hado and Lynn Friss Feinberg
16. Intergenerational Relationships, Family Caregiving Policy, and COVID-19 in the United States
Jeffrey E. Stokes and Sarah E. Patterson
17. Bereavement in the Time of Coronavirus: Unprecedented Challenges Demand Novel Interventions
Deborah Carr, Kathrin Boerner and Sara Moorman
Local and Community Responses
18. Fast-track Innovation: Area Agencies on Aging Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Traci L. Wilson, Marisa Scala-Foley, Suzanne R. Kunkel and Amanda L. Brewster
19. Local Government Efforts to Mitigate the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic among Older Adults
Jacqueline L. Angel and Stipica Mudrazija
20. A Framework for Aging-Friendly Services and Supports in the Age of COVID-19
Geoffrey J. Hoffman, Noah J. Webster and Julie P. W. Bynum
21. When Going Digital Becomes a Necessity: Ensuring Older Adults’ Needs for Information, Services, and Social Inclusion During COVID-19
Bo Xie, Neil Charness, Karen Fingerman, Jeffrey Kaye, Miyong T. Kim, and Anjum Khurshid
Economic Risks to Older Workers and Retirees
22. Older Workers on the COVID-19-Frontlines without Paid Sick Leave
Teresa Ghilarducci and Aida Farmand
23. Older Adults and the Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Yang Li and Jan E Mutchler
24. Unclaimed Defined Benefit Pensions Can Help COVID-19 Economic Recovery
Anna-Marie Tabor
Documenting and Combating Ageism
25. The COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes Limited Understanding of Ageism
Laurinda Reynolds
26. Not Only Virus Spread: The Diffusion of Ageism during the Outbreak of COVID-19
Federica Previtali, Laura D. Allen and Maria Varlamova
27. Six Propositions against Ageism in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Hans-Joerg Ehni and Hans-Werner Wahl
Recovery
28. Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Focus on Older Adults
Nancy Morrow-Howell, Natalie Galucia and Emma Swinford