| What Seniors Can Expect as Their New Normal in a Post-Vaccine World |
Experts say that in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic,
everything will change for older Americans, from the way they receive
healthcare to how they travel and shop. This also includes their work life and
relationships with one another.
Older adults are uniquely vulnerable because their immune
systems tend to deteriorate with age, making it so much harder for them to
battle not just COVID-19 but all infectious diseases. They are also more likely
to have other health conditions, like heart and respiratory diseases, that make
it tougher to fight or recover from illness. Even with a potential vaccine, most
seniors will be taking additional precautions.
Here’s a preview of post-vaccine life for older Americans:
Medical Care
One in three visits will be telemedicine.
More regular remote care will be bolstered by a
team of doctors to see more patients more efficiently.
Drugstores will do more vaccinations to avoid
the germs in doctors’ offices.
Older Americans may have special devices at home
to regularly analyze urine and fecal samples.
Travel
Many trips of 800 miles or less will likely
become road trips instead of flights.
Regional and local travel will replace foreign
travel. The most popular trip for seniors: visiting grandchildren.
Demand for business class will grow. When
older travelers (who are financially able) choose to fly, they will more
frequently book roomy business-class seats because they won’t want to sit too
close to other passengers.
Older couples who fly together, and have the
money, will pay for all three seats, so no one is between them.
Hotels will market medical care. Medical
capability will be built into more travel options. For example, some hotels
will advertise a doctor on-site or one close by.
Disinfecting will be a sales pitch. Expect
a rich combination of health and safety “theater,” particularly on cruises that
host many older travelers. Employees will be wiping everything frequently.
Cruises will require proof of
vaccination. Passengers as well as cruise employees will likely have to
prove they’ve been vaccinated before traveling.
Eating/Shopping
Local eateries will gain
trust. Neighborhood and small-market restaurants will draw loyal customers
because patrons know and trust the owners.
To appeal to older diners, restaurants will
prominently display safety-inspection signage and visibly signal their
cleanliness standards. They will hire employees exclusively to wipe down
tables, chairs and all high-touch points. These employees will be easy to
identify and very visible.
Home Life
More seniors will leave assisted living
facilities and nursing homes to move in with their families.
Home delivery of almost everything will become
the norm for older Americans, and in-person shopping will become much less
common.
Older workers will stay home. The 60-and-up
workforce increasingly will be reluctant to work anywhere but from home and
will be very slow to re-embrace in-person grocery shopping.
Gatherings
There will be forced social
distancing. Whenever or wherever large families gather, people exhibiting
COVID-like symptoms may not be welcomed under any circumstances.
Older folks will disengage, at a
cost. Depression will skyrocket among older people who isolate from family
get-togethers and large gatherings.
Public restrooms will be revamped. For germ
avoidance, they’ll increasingly get no-touch toilets, urinals, sinks and
entrances/exits.
--Adapted from “What
Seniors Can Expect as Their New Normal in a Post-Vaccine World,” Kaiser
Health News
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