For the past months, we have had to make drastic changes to our lives to keep ourselves and everyone else safe from COVID-19. While younger people have moved their social activities online, seniors are struggling with adapting. The pandemic has made a great impact on the lives of elderly individuals. We will not understand what they are going through until we have put ourselves in their shoes. What are the effects of this pandemic on seniors? Read on to find out.

The Effects Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On The Elderly

Additional Stress

Seniors have weaker immune systems, and many of them have underlying conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Because of that, they are at higher risk for COVID-19. In addition, seniors who live on their own have to figure out how to get their groceries and prescriptions without compromising their safety.

The current pandemic is an added strain to the daily worries faced by the elderly. They have to worry about their health, their family’s health, as well as how to go about their daily lives. Those issues could build up and pose detrimental effects on their mental health. 

Healthcare Issues

The country’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapsing due to the sheer volume of people with COVID-19. Most non-urgent care services are delayed, and intensive care beds have been full in many hospitals for months now. Likewise, poorly organized long-term care facilities have crumbled because of the pandemic, leaving hundreds of seniors vulnerable. Overall, healthcare for the elderly has suffered greatly as they are pushed to the sidelines to make way for COVID-19 cases.

The de-prioritization of non-urgent care and non-COVID-19-related emergencies could mean a matter of life and death for seniors. Without proper access to medical resources, their health would take the brunt of the current situation.

Minimum Social Interaction

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI), 6.5 million Americans aged 65 and older suffer from depression. On top of possibly dealing with grief, many seniors find it difficult to maintain active social circles, which increases loneliness or, in the worst cases, leads to depression. With social distancing and strict restrictions on the elderly, keeping relationships with others in check may be even more challenging. We have seen stories in the news about kids or grandchildren only being able to talk to their senior parents or grandparents with a window separating them.

Because of this pandemic, a lot of seniors have to wade through long and lonely days. Although some may be able to chat and do video calls with their friends and family online, in-person interaction is irreplaceable for those who did not grow up in the digital age. As a matter of fact, even the younger generations are craving physical contact with their friends nowadays, so you can imagine the struggles of the older population.

Society’s Duty To Seniors

The COVID-19 pandemic is truly an unprecedented time for the elderly. They have lived through wars and recessions, but none were perhaps as lonely as this pandemic. All the problems they face today are related to each other, and one could worsen the next. The stress they experience may accumulate and negatively affect their mental and physical well-being if they are unable to reduce or eliminate it. Moreover, if they are unable to get proper healthcare, their health might decline and prevent them from doing other things that help them combat loneliness. 

Perhaps it all boils down to seniors’ mental health, which becomes vulnerable to loneliness and depression. Reach out and support your elderly parents, grandparents, or senior neighbors as much as you can during this pandemic.