Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 on the Elderly in Their Homes
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented fear and uncertainty among the elderly. The pandemic has influenced the elderly to depend on social connections more than ever. According to Malone et al. (2020), the elderly sometimes need a helping hand and often need someone around them. While many countries have nationwide lockdown and social distancing restrictions, the elderly could be feeling unusual loneliness. Several factors explain why the elderly are more vulnerable than the general population – they have various chronic conditions, and their immune system is weaker to fight diseases, infection, and viruses.
Furthermore, elderly recoveries are often slower and more complicated. Many people are concerned about COVID-19 prevention among the elderly living far away from their families and caregivers. They might face anxiety and depression due to loneliness, as they have limited income and transport capability, which may delay their routine health checkups. In this regard, this study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of the COVID-19 prevention program that would help mitigate the elderly’s impact in their homes. The study targets caregivers because they are crucial for elderly safety and well-being during the pandemic.
Description and Development of the Program
The pandemic has revealed multiple weak points in the care system. While affecting all population segments, the pandemic threat is significantly high in the elderly. Responses have shown impact, resulting in a dramatic loss of lives, opportunities, and inclusion. For instance, Conroy et al. (2020) suggest that elderly over sixty-five years old account for nine percent of the world’s population, while those over eighty years old account for two percent. The Elderly often have a higher incidence of disability and frailty. Holt (2020) argues that people with disability (PwDs) accounts for fifteen percent of the world’s population. While most elderly are PwDs, they have low-income, less education, and most vulnerable to economic insecurity and shocks. Furthermore, they are susceptible to infection and severe prognoses for recovery.
The residence preparedness and care needs of the elderly population are significantly challenging in the face of the pandemic. Elderly people are considered dependent because some of them even stay in care homes and sometimes crowded quarters, promoting the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, the prevention program focuses on enhancing various measures that have been enacted by the World Health Organization and governments to control infection. The primary objective of the program is to establish long-term and efficient care for the elderly. The program includes prevention and control measures to manage human and financial resources for reporting and coordination with health authorities. The program also covers policies such as daily screening, visitor restriction, social distancing requirements, detection and quarantine procedures, promoting disinfection regimes, awareness, etc.
Building and Improving the Social and Elderly Care Systems
For the elderly receiving home-based care, the pandemic has created additional burdens to caregivers because many community-based services are not available due to the closure to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Some caregivers are extremely strained as they deal with elderly care burdens, job losses, and other disruptions. Home-care recipients and familial caregivers who don’t reside joints have encountered challenges due to lockdowns, preventing the elderly’s quality care. However, the community can learn several lessons from the pandemic on building and improving the social and elderly care systems. The pandemic has revealed various lessons for the medium-term response and for long-term reforms. In this case, the medium-term response is useful in strengthening the health and safety of the elderly with PwDs, whereas the long-term reforms focus on building equitable, efficient, and resilient care systems.
Strengthening the Health and Safety of the Elderly Care Systems
The pandemic requires particular measures to manage further outbreaks and provide care needs for the elderly. According to Dang et al. (2020), effective measures include testing to control the spread, isolating the cases, and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for caregivers. Policies for managing workload and offering sick leave for caregivers should be implemented to safeguard people in care homes. In essence, the community could adapt existing social protection systems to efficiently cover paid sick leave and adjust elderly benefits and payments’ frequency. Comas et al. (2020) suggest that the governments should provide financial assistance for people who stop working to support or prevent contamination of their elderly family members with disabilities. Thus, governments’ subsidence will help cover unemployment and sickness benefits to promote the safety and well-being of the elderly. The medium-term response would enhance the availability of formal home-based care for the elderly and improve data and research to monitor, evaluate, and strengthen healthcare delivery systems to meet elderly needs.
Improving Government Stewardship of the Care Market
Communities with pre-existing publicly supported care systems for the elderly could establish a more effective response by improving the delivery systems. The elderly care systems can expand to help care recipients and caregivers. However, care providers and provider-financier arrangements are determined by specific policies and conditions that may inhibit elderly care. The pandemic has prompted an important conversation about effective policies and conditions for elderly care. According to Morrow et al. (2020), good government stewardship is determined by systems with active functional funding channels. In essence, government funding is essential in measuring, enforcing, and improving elderly care in home-based programs. Government funding would enhance coordination between social and medical care and data transmission.
Government stewardship is useful for communities that have social pensions and healthcare insurance. The communities can easily develop financial structures to enhance elderly caregiving. Leaving primary responsibilities to family members leads to challenges in offering care for the elderly due to insufficient medical resources. Thus, government funding is crucial for preventing the elderly from COVID-19 impacts.
Using Technological Solutions to Promote Care
Telemedicine systems minimize pathogen transmission while facilitating urgent medical needs for the vulnerable population. Integrated wearable technology can help monitor vital signs and remind the elderly to take necessary medications (Wu, 2020). The technology will help reduce elderly physical contact with caregivers. Isolation has been challenging as it raises serious psychological and psychosocial concerns (Zhou et al., 2020). In this sense, teleconferencing can enhance isolation since the elderly can communicate with caregivers and family members. Information technology is essential in creating resilient and accessible systems that prioritize residential and home-based care. Thus, health authorities and governments should incorporate IT solutions into preventing the elderly from the pandemic.
Action Plan/Goals and Objectives
The primary goal of this program is to ensure elderly prevention from COVID-19 by enhancing caregiving. The program focuses on establishing effective ways of providing care for the elderly to avoid psychological and psychosocial problems. In this regard, the following action plan would help achieve goals:
Enhance Compliance
Government and health authorities have established various practices and restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Caregivers should encourage the elderly to comply with the guidelines to ensure their safety and well-being (Serafini et al., 2020). While the elderly often stay at homes or in care facilities, caregivers should ensure that they follow primary COVID-19 prevention methods such as washing hands, avoiding crowds, and cleaning surfaces. In this case, caregivers can help the elderly perform some of the duties, such as cleaning surfaces.
Promote Physical Distancing Rather than Social Isolation
One critical way to reduce the risk of the elderly catching COVID-19 is by limiting in-person visits. However, this may be challenging for the elderly who cherish and spend most of the time with friends and family members. Otu et al. (2020) suggest that physical distancing doesn’t have to mean loneliness or isolation. Society needs to keep the elderly safe but understand that social isolation can severely impact the elderly’s immunity and mental health. Caregivers should encourage the elderly to think of social contacts beyond their usual circle of family and friends.
According to Williams et al. (2018), social connections are essential for the elderly’s health and well-being and can promote a healthy life in the future. While a decline in physical, cognitive, and sensory functions are common among the elderly, social functioning is always malleable and responsive (Harris & Sharma, 2018). Socioemotional development theory suggests that healthy relationships and social well-being improve elderly life. However, COVID-19 has led to a lack of meaningful social connection, resulting in depression among the elderly.
Therefore, promoting social, physical distancing rather than social isolation will help establish a long-term solution for elderly social isolation. Even before COVID-19 began, national studies revealed that about twenty-five percent of the elderly in Australia were socially isolated, and one-third of them experienced loneliness. Lack of social connection and feeling Isolated can trigger various health-related conditions such as psychiatric disorders and chronic conditions (WHO, 2020). Caregivers should help the elderly plan stay physically active and think of family and friends to reduce the impacts of isolation.
Use Technology to Stay Connected
Despite the impacts of lockdowns and movement restrictions, family and friends can use technology to connect with the elderly. Technology can help eliminate the sense of isolation since the elderly can communicate with their family and friends through teleconferencing (Biggs, 2017). Thus, caregivers should show the elderly how to video chat using smartphones, laptops, or tablets.
Implementation
Key stakeholders for the program’s implementation include health authorities, the government, caregivers, and IT professionals. The primary role of health authorities is to provide information about elderly needs and health concerns. The information will help align the program with elderly needs and health concerns.
While the program will benefit the public, the government has a critical role in providing financial support. The program needs some funds to pay caregivers, provide health insurance, and help the elderly meet their financial needs. The government will also enhance compliance by monitoring caregivers’ activities and ensuring that they comply with COVID-19 prevention.
Caregivers will guide the elderly in adhering to measures, such as washing hands, physical distancing, and cleaning surfaces. IT professionals will work collaboratively with caregivers to offer effective communication channels, ensuring that the elderly connect with family and friends.
Innovation is key to the program’s success because it focuses on preventing the elderly from COVID-19 impact by ensuring their psychological and psychosocial well-being. In this case, innovation in the information system, communication techniques, and data collection will enhance elderly coordination and engagement in preventing coronavirus spread.
Evaluation
The evaluation will use the CDC framework, which requires stakeholders’ engagement, program description, evaluation design, evidence, and justified conclusion. Stakeholders’ engagement is crucial for the evaluation because it will help assess whether each stakeholder played their role accordingly (Steptoe et al., 2017).
The program will be evaluated based on its goals and objectives. Home-based care will be essential in evaluating the program since many elderly stay at home. The program’s effectiveness will depend on healthcare authorities’ ability to establish advanced tele-health, which will enhance caregivers’ activities. For example, the program will be considered successful if the elderly can connect with caregivers via teleconferencing. However, the program will be considered a failure if the elderly continue to face psychological and psychosocial problems.
Conclusion
Many elderlies have developed stress and depression due to COVID-19, which has disrupted care. The elderly depend on family and friends for money and social support. Measures such as lockdown, physical distancing, and movement restriction, prevent family and friends from connecting with the elderly. Lack of connection can lead to psychological and psychosocial problems among the elderly. Therefore, a program recognizing elderly needs and health concerns can enhance COVID-19 prevention.