Protection of Older Adults During The COVID-19 Pandemic
The ongoing SARC-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the disparities and inequities prevalent throughout the world in our aging population. The early days of the pandemic brought a sense of community and confusion. As time passed and cases increased, the community was replaced by miscommunication, and the world was less prepared for a global pandemic than we thought. The initial framing of COVID-19 as a ‘disease of old age’ - done partly to highlight the real risks faced by vulnerable populations, including older adults – resulted in intergenerational discord (See Guest & Peckham, 2021). ‘Coffin Dodger’ and ‘Boomer Remover’ became popular memes. Concurrently, aging service providers and organizations must transition their work to new delivery methods. Traditional congregate methods of delivering services were no longer feasible. The delivery of health care services to older persons required revision. Innovative solutions, such as the rapid adoption of telehealth and the deployment of WIFI hotspots, alleviated some of the strain and further exacerbated existing inequities among aging populations. To ensure the protection of older adults during the pandemic, systems faced the triple challenges of operating within existing legislative missions, adapting to the ongoing and evolving pandemic, and addressing rapidly expanding disparities and inequities. But what have we learned about protecting older adults during such periods? What lessons can be learned to prepare for future challenges and disasters? What went well, and where do challenges still exist?
The proposed themed edition of Educational Gerontology will explore several manuscript formats: original research, topical review articles, or descriptive essays exploring the experience or delivery of protections for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcome a limited number of first-person narratives. We are particularly interested in what can be learned to assist service providers, helping professionals, and those who work with older adults now and beyond. What has been gleaned that can inform the training of students and providers' continuing education? We strongly encourage submissions focused on non-western experiences during COVID-19.
Potential areas of research:
• systemic challenges to ensuring the protection of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
• program and policy initiatives that found success in supporting older adults
• communication/miscommunication; overcoming barriers to communication
• ensuring the continuation of health care treatment and service delivery
• failures in protecting older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
• exemplars in success; adaption, and innovation of delivery
• considerations for future policy and programmatic delivery
• experiences of older adult protection and service delivery in Africa, Asia, South America, Latin America, or Oceania.
• Elder abuse, caregiving, and service access during the COVID-19 pandemic
• management, mitigation, or expansion of health inequities/disparities during Covid-19
• & Others
For additional questions, or if you would like to serve as a reviewer for the special issue, you can contact Dr. Aaron Guest at [email protected]
