In the United States, adults over age 65 account for only 16 percent of the population, but 80 percent of COVID-19 deaths. In the absence of a vaccine, and as COVID-19 cases surge, elderly and nursing home populations continue to be severely, disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the isolation it has caused. On Wednesday, August 12, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, Physicians for Human Rights hosted a conversation on the grave impacts of COVID-19 on these populations, covering missed opportunities in prevention and treatment, models for success, and next steps needed to reduce risk and protect basic human rights as the pandemic rages on.
The conversation was moderated by Joanne Lynn, MD, policy analyst at the Program to Improve Eldercare at the Center for Appropriate Care at Altarum, a nonprofit research organization that creates and implements solutions to advance health among vulnerable populations.
Panelists were:
● Sharon Brangman, MD, FACP, AGSF is Distinguished Service Professor and inaugural chair of the department of geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. She is director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease and of the Nappi Longevity Institute.
● Jennie Chin Hansen, MS is former CEO of the American Geriatrics Society and former president of AARP. She serves on several health care and system boards related to care delivery transformation, quality, and safety, as well as chronic care innovation and technology for older adults and long-term care financing.
● Vincent Mor, PhD is professor of health services, policy and practice, and the Florence Pirce Grant professor at Brown University School of Public Health. He is principal investigator at the National Institute on Aging, IMbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer’s Disease and AD Related Dementias Clinical Trials Collaboratory.