By María Laura Oliveri

Older adults are among the largest groups at risk for the coronavirus and they have the highest fatality rate in several countries. Learn about the resources and materials that we offer to guide caregiving and public policy on aging and long-term care in countries in the region.

Nursing Homes: Dangerous Infection Hotspots

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, it has been confirmed that older adults are the most vulnerable age group. They are at a higher risk due to their weakened immune systems and because they are more likely to have chronic diseases or comorbidities, such as diabetes, cancer, or hypertension. If older adults contract the virus, there is a substantial probability that they could have severe complications or even die. In this situation, nursing homes are very dangerous potential transmission hotspots. In fact, in such countries as Spain and the United States, COVID-19 has widely spread within several nursing homes and many of their residents have died; people over the age of 60 have the highest COVID-19 fatality rate in Italy, Spain, and the United States.

Realities Revealed by the Pandemic

This pandemic has underscored how fragile the most robust healthcare systems are when faced with a health emergency caused by infectious diseases. It has revealed that there is a lack of information on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among caregivers, who traditionally have little training on how to handle this kind of situation. The surge of cases of older adults left to their own devices in nursing homes, as well as nursing homes not following protocols to minimize the risk of contagion is also concerning. Hospitals’ lack of capacity to provide care renders palliative care the only treatment that elderly patients receive, and there have even been cases of older adults who have died at home without receiving any care.

Source: IDB