Coronavirus Is Changing the Way We Care for Frail Older Adults

The coronavirus pandemic and the fast-tracked federal response is inverting long-standing rules and practices for caring for frail older Americans, reports Forbes . For one thing, a temporary ban on nursing home visits and group activities and communal dining effectively puts residents in quarantine, which will likely exacerbate their tedium and loneliness and make worse some of those seniors dealing with anxiety and depression. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's temporary waiver of Medicare's three-day rule for coverage at skilled nursing facilities for people infected by COVID-19 has made advocates hopeful that momentum for a permanent reversal of the regulation will build. Meanwhile, temporary closure of senior community centers and adult day programs in response to the pandemic is a serious blow to frail older men and women, increasing their vulnerability to social isolation and prevention of needed exercise or meals. This, in turn, raises pressures on family caregivers. On the positive side, the House-passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act allocates $250 million in extra funding for home-delivered meals through Senior Nutrition programs, benefiting low-income, home-bound, and disabled seniors and their caregivers. However, a shortfall of personal care aides is likely to worsen.