The current COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected older populations. The current demographic and epidemiological transitions within the Region require us to change how we treat and respond to our older persons’ needs, especially now in emergency situations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has:
- emphasized the needs and vulnerabilities that older persons have when it comes to their right to health;
- seen the highest mortality rates in older people with co-morbidities and with functional decline; and
- exposed the fragility of health systems to support older adults and consider their unique needs, among others.
The challenge of the pandemic provides a different approach and adequate interventions to older adults, which considers the diversity of functional states and health characteristics of this population.
This point of time can be transformed into a unique opportunity in ensuring that the necessary changes are applied so that our society and institutions offer our aging populations the needed transformation in their care so that they can maintain and optimize a longer and healthy life.
