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The Case for Racial Equity in Aging Has Never Been Stronger

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by Robert Espinoza and Jean Accius. This article originally appeared on the blog of the American Society on Aging.

In early April, as the COVID-19 crisis spread across the world, two notable developments took hold. First, the United States became the pandemic’s epicenter, reporting more confirmed cases and deaths than in any other nation. Second, it became clear that black and Latino people in the United States were being hospitalized and dying from the virus at disproportionate rates.

Given that older adults and people with serious medical conditions are at greatest risk of.... Read More

             

Elder Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19

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by Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., Executive Director, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. This article originally appeared on the NHCOA blog. Para leer en español, haga clic aquí.

COVID-19 is caused by something so small we cannot even see it, a virus known as SARS-CoV-2.  This virus is causing illness and death throughout the world; and it seems to be targeting our elders especially hard.  According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 out of 10 deaths reported in the United States of America have been adults 65 years and.... Read More

             

AIDS Services Know How to Love in a Plague

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by John-Manuel Andriote. This article originally appeared on Next Avenue.

(Editor’s note: This story is part of Still Here, Still Positive: A series on the first generation of Americans aging with HIV/AIDS, with support from The John A. Hartford Foundation.)

Just as we gay and bisexual men measured our personal histories in relation to AIDS — starting in 1981 — everyone now speaks of the world, and our lives, “before” and “after” COVID-19.

Organizations created in the 1980s to serve very ill, homebound people with HIV/AIDS are demonstrating in this “after” that there is a greater-than-ever need for what they know about feeding and caring for people with.... Read More

             

Coronavirus Pandemic Exposes Gap in Mental Health Services for Seniors

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By Dr. Marcy Adelman. This article originally appeared in the San Francisco Bay Times.

The COVID-19 crisis, and with it the need to shelter in place, have exposed gaps in San Francisco’s services for seniors and LGBTQ seniors in particular.

The city has long established partnerships with community nonprofits with whom they have a successful track record for delivering in-person health and wellness services and programs and peer support groups that reduce social isolation and increase opportunities for program participants to engage, connect, and volunteer in their communities. For people who are not comfortable with in-person experiences, the Institute on Aging provides a phone service for older adults who need someone to listen to their concerns..... Read More

             

Diverse Elders Coalition Launches New COVID-19 Resource Hub

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The COVID-19 pandemic has directly impacted older adults and caregivers in the United States. COVID-19 cases have surpassed 1 million, and there is at least one COVID-19 case in all 50 states. Individuals with weaker immune systems and underlying health conditions are most vulnerable to COVID-19, placing many older adults and people with disabilities at risk.

In our communities, COVID-19 is having an enormous impact on elders and caregivers, the challenges of which are exacerbated by existing health disparities and other socioeconomic factors, such as housing, poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and discrimination. It is not difficult.... Read More

             

OPINION: COVID-19 Shows the U.S. Needs Universal Family Care

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by Sarita Gupta. This article originally appeared on Next Avenue.

(Across caregiving and community, business and intergenerational attitudes, the pandemic and how we respond to it could change us forever. Next Avenue turned to some of our Influencers in Aging, a diverse group of thought leaders, for their insights, counsel and opinions of what could lie ahead — if we choose.)

Prior to COVID-19, every two weeks, two women would come to clean my family’s house. They’re employees of a small cleaning service. Three weeks ago, when COVID-19 started to change how people live and work, the owner called to ask if we’d be willing to provide additional money so she could give.... Read More

             

American Workers’ Health Challenges Before Reaching the Golden Age

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by Agustin Durán. To read the original Spanish-language article in La Opinión, click here. (Para leer este artículo en español, haga clic aquí.)

For several decades, activist Martha Ugarte has been counseling immigrants to protect themselves from abuse and defending them from becoming victims of authorities and unscrupulous businesses. But in January 2019, the immigrant from Oaxaca, Mexico, had to defend herself.

Suddenly, her husband began to have stomach pains, and they had no choice but to take him to a hospital emergency room. After paying a $240 co-payment and enduring four hours of exams, they were told he needed surgery to remove stones from his gallbladder. They sought a second opinion and he finally managed.... Read More

             

Let’s Pause to Celebrate a Historic Win for Direct Care Workers

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The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered our way of living while putting enormous pressures on the health and long-term care sectors, including the direct care workforce. Epidemiologists are predicting that it will continue to worsen in the months ahead, straining our health care resources, the economy, and the full aging and long-term care system.

In times of crisis, important policy wins are often understandably overshadowed by more pressing matters. In this context, one major win for direct care workers took place last Wednesday when President Trump signed into law the Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020, which reauthorizes the Older Americans Act (OAA) for five more years and increases funding levels for its programs.... Read More

             

How COVID-19 Illuminated Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities

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I did not expect that I would be writing about COVID-19 when I sat down to write a blog celebrating National Minority Health Month, however, it has turned out to be the perfect time to share the detrimental effects COVID-19 has had on racially and ethnically diverse communities, especially those living in low-income neighborhoods.

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has spread like wildfire in the United States. At this moment, there is at least one confirmed case in all 50 states. People with COVID-19 report flu-like symptoms such as a fever, tiredness and a dry cough..... Read More

             
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