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Context: The COVID-19 pandemic changed life for everyone, but especially for nursing home residents. In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the United States enacted nursing home restrictions regarding visitation from outside family/friends and changes to facility activity programmes. Objective: This study explored the nursing home policies and practices that preserved relationships among nursing home residents with spouses/partners. Nursing home social workers shared the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on residents’ relationships with spouses/partners and how they sought to maintain these essential social connections to minimise the detrimental effect on the psychosocial well-being of residents. Methods: The study utilised both an online survey and 10 telephone interviews with nursing home social workers in four southern states. Findings: Twenty-eight percent of participants reported that no visitors were allowed, while 25% allowed couples to visit with one another as usual. The most noted practices to maintain social connections were phone calls, video calls, and ‘window’ visits between residents and family/friends; however, as one respondent noted, ‘It’s just not the same. It’s affected them greatly.’ Interviews revealed further details about the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 restrictions on nursing home residents’ overall mental health and attachment relationships with spouses/partners. Limitations: Study limitations exist in the focus on practices in four south-eastern states, with no inclusion of northern US states. An additional limitation of sampling is discussed. Implications: These results highlight the importance of maintaining social connections between residents and spouses/partners. Policies and practices that enhance relationships and connections under all circumstances should be formalised and all health care team members trained to ensure implementation.

The impact of COVID-19 on older adults has been analysed through different research approaches. However, with its sudden global spread, combined with uncertainty about which countermeasures would be employed, there was a lack of opportunity to systematically and continuously engage in a system of observing the moods of older adults forced to live in unexpected conditions. Ageist narratives, social distancing, the unending barrage of real and fake news, and the lockdowns, have given rise to what we define as a series of “seasons” of life, characterised not by the weather barometer, but by moods of people. How much did these external events, like the impact of weather, affect the mood of older adults? We immediately recognised the pandemic’s long-term nature, and thanks to our position as an "observatory" of social dynamics, and because of our existing community of older adults (VOICE), we could involve our members to provide valuable insights about mood and wellbeing during the pandemic. We initiated a weekly pulse survey, based on the two same questions, starting in week 13 of 2020. Across the 50 weeks which followed, we received 2577 responses. They rated their mood on a scale of 1 (extra-stormy) to 5 (all sunshine), before we collated the data and mapped on key events related to media announcements and political decisions. Our research showed the impact of these events on the mood of participants, and the potential of this approach to identify trends in mood to help policy makers with informed decision-making during unprecedented times.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified chronic conditions which elevated the risk of COVID-19 complications: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and obesity. The aim of this study is to visualize the spatial distribution of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and local rates of comorbidities in CT, MA, NH, and RI and to identify the spatial clustering of hot spot between COVID-19 cases and rates of a summary measure of comorbidities across communities. This study collected data from state’s departments of public health in 4 New England states of confirmed COVID-19 cases as of February 25th, 2021 and extracted community-level rates of comorbidities among adults age 65+ from recent Healthy Aging Data Report (www.healthyagingdatareports.org). Results showed that the cities Bridgeport, CT (n=14,637), Boston, MA (n=57,912), Manchester, NH (n=9,658), and Providence, RI (n=26,792) had the highest rates of COVID-19 and the highest population density. The GIS based map illustrated that the largest cities with the highest population densities had both relatively high incidences of COVID-19 and heavy burdens of comorbidities. This study found that the hot spot areas of COVID-19 were observed in communities with the highest chronic disease burdens. These hot spots of COVID-19 and comorbidities are areas where resources (testing, masks, vaccines) should be surged to protect the community. The identification of hot spots may motivate residents to take every mitigation step to prevent and control COVID-19.

It is important to understand the unique experiences and perspectives of older adults who were required to incorporate critical adjustments to behavior during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An anonymous, cross sectional survey was administered online through Qualtrics Survey Software in June 2020. The results of this study found that older adults utilized different sources of information than younger adults; they were more likely to read the newspaper or listen to the radio, and less likely to rely on social media for information. Older respondents in this study reported coping with the COVID-19 outbreak better than younger respondents, were less likely to report that they were personally affected by the virus, and less likely to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information about COVID-19. The findings of this study highlight resilience in older adults not found in younger adults, and provide an important step in identifying policy and practice suggestions to reduce negative repercussions for older adults experiencing the current crisis, as well as future generations of older adults who might experience similar events.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought terrible difficulties to nursing homes, as they were locations with the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths in the US. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) applies the Five-Star Quality Ratings to indicate the quality of care in nursing homes based on health inspection survey, staffing, and resident outcome. Studies to date have contradictory findings regarding the relationship between nursing home reported Quality Ratings and Covid-19 cases and deaths based on US regional data. The purpose of this study is to examine whether nursing homes’ Quality Ratings were related to the total number of resident Covid-19 cases and deaths at the US National level. The study examined US nursing homes (N=13,494) linked with CMS Nursing Home Compare data and Covid-19 Nursing Home data. Using multiple linear regression analyses, results showed nursing home Quality Ratings were significantly associated with Covid-19 residents’ cases and deaths controlling for ownership type, size, occupation rate, and years of operation (p

This paper reports on the the challenges faced and coping strategies employed community-based care providers in a mid sized city in the Pacific Northwest in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic. Researchers from a Palliative Care Institute conducted six online focus groups using the zoom platform. The project aimed at gathering important information on the experiences of caregivers as well as providing a virtual space where caregivers could support each other. A purposive sampling technique was used to gather data where participants were not chosen randomly but because they could best answer the research question. Membership of the focus groups included representatives from skilled nursing facilities, home-care agencies, elder law services, memory-care facilities, adult family homes, medical supply facilities, chaplains and nutritionists. Data gathered from the focus group were transcribed. A constant comparison method of analysis were employed and categories and themes were created from open coded data. Six key themes were identified which included: dealing with the impact of social isolation on caregiver-client relationships, assessing personal risk when dealing with clients living with dementia, facing challenges seeking continuing employment, struggling with social support and self care, using technology for professional and personal support and grappling with the challenges reentering a face to face environment once the pandemic is controlled.. Findings point to the importance developing and sustaining technological innovations that support workforce retention, fostering communication between the larger community, care providers and clients in various care settings and planning for safe reentry into a post Covid world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unpredictable challenges globally. Urban elders in Global South nations are among the major population groups vulnerable to COVID-19. A qualitative case study design was used to uncover the challenges and sources of support for poor urban elders during COVID-19 lockdown in Ethiopia. Data were collected from 27 elders age 60 and above in Debre Markos Town via in-depth interviews and document review. Narrative data were analyzed using thematic data analysis. Four prominent themes were identified: 1. Food insecurity (“Hunger would kill us instead of COVID-19”), 2. Hopelessness (“Feeling hopeless and begging to die”), 3. Social isolation (“We prefer social support rather than food donations”) and 4. Gratitude (“Feeling thankful”). The physical distancing program introduced to contain the pandemic isolated many elders and diminished their capacity to access support from others needed to perform their daily activities. An institutional welfare system is needed to ensure older adults in the Global South can live a joyful and dignified life, even through a global pandemic. Moreover, a special emergency fund to meet older adults’ basic needs during a pandemic like COVID-19 should be introduced to minimize the effect of crises on vulnerable groups like destitute older adults in Ethiopia.

As COVID-19 swept across the globe in 2020, it appeared to have infected and killed Black Americans at a disproportionately higher rate. However, few studies have focused specifically on the complications of managing diabetes, expressly type 2 diabetes (T2D), among Black men during the global pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to seek understanding of the experiences in managing T2D among Black men during the COVID-19 pandemic. One on one interviews were conducted via Zoom video conferencing with twenty-two (n=22) Black men regarding their experience of managing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a pandemic environment. Four main themes emerged from the study, which are: (1) stress levels during the pandemic, (2) barriers to managing my diabetes, (3) who/what is helping the most, and (4) communication with health-care provider. As more information becomes available, it is apparent that having diabetes increases the risk for detrimental COVID-19 outcomes (i.e. increased lengths of hospital stays, the need for mechanical ventilation, and mortality. Future research efforts are crucially needed to provide an improved understanding of how individuals across all racial groups are managing diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As COVID-19 swept across the United States in 2020, it appeared to infect and kill Black Americans at a disproportionately high rate. When examining the literature pertaining to the pandemic, present COVID-19 research focuses on physical health, but research regarding mental health and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic are lacking, especially among Black men and minority men in general. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to learn more about the type 2 diabetes (T2D) management related stress among Black men (n=22) during the COVID-19 pandemic. One on one interviews were conducted via Zoom video conferencing to gain an understanding of the experiences of managing T2D in a pandemic environment. Three main themes emerged from the study, which are: (1) my stress levels during this time, (2) diabetes specific stressors, and (3) coping mechanisms. Black men with diabetes may need psychosocial support that holistically addresses general developmental and diabetes-specific stressors and their influences on one another. Recognizing how Black men react to stress is essential for understanding and addressing their disproportionally high prevalence of stress related to management of chronic conditions and avoiding additional complications, morbidity or mortality. It is imperative to examine how stress and coping frameworks relate to men’s health, in general, but specifically in Black men.