Some of the most tantalizing stories in the news these days involve the quest for a vaccine that might finally stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic.According to this very recent National Geographic article, at least 150 legitimate vaccine trials are currently underway, with many showing real promise.But as weve been warned, a vaccine, even if highly effective, will not be a panacea, and it wont make the virus disappear overnight.
Whats even more unsettling, if this article we just discovered from Kaiser Health News is accurate, for seniors some of the disruption in daily life might actually be here to stay.Post-Vaccine Living for Seniors May Be a Lot Like it is TodayImagine this scenario, perhaps a year or two in the future, writes Kaiser reporter Bruce Horovitz: An effective COVID-19 vaccine is routinely available and the world is moving forward.However, he adds, even in that rosy scenario, life will likely never be the same particularly for people over 60.That is the conclusion of geriatric medical doctors, aging experts, futurists and industry specialists.
Experts say that in the aftermath of the pandemic, everything will change, from the way older folks receive health care to how they travel and shop.Also overturned: their work life and relationships with one another.Horovitz quotes one aging expert, Ken Dychtwald of AgeWave, who calls the recent global pandemic a near-death experience.As a result, he says, people are thinking differently about what matters and how theyll behave differently in the future.
Because seniors are uniquely vulnerable to all infectious diseases, not just the coronavirus, and because they are more likely to suffer other health conditions, like heart and respiratory diseases, they tend to take the risk of infection very seriously.Its no surprise, says Kaiser, that even in the future, when a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available and widely used most seniors will be taking additional precautions.Post-Vaccine Living: Baby Boomers Confront Their MortalityAccording to the Kaiser article, boomers have always been convinced of their seeming immortality but thats no longer true.Before COVID-19, baby boomers felt reassured that with all the benefits of modern medicine, they could live for years and years, Stanford geriatrician Dr.
Mehrdad Ayati told reporter Horovitz.What we never calculated was that a pandemic could totally change the dialogue.But in fact, the coronavirus has caused a profound adjustment in the attitude of todays seniors.With that paradigm shift in mind, Kaiser Health News took a look at what life could be like for older Americans in a post-vaccine world.
Here are some examples, edited for length:Post-Vaccine Living: Big Changes in Medical CareTelemedicine is the Future.Medical experts predict that seniors will experience a drumbeat to make them fluent users of online health care.Kaiser estimates that fewer than two-thirds of people 75 and older use the internet today, a situation which some geriatricians describe as lethal in the modern age of health care.
Many believe that one-third of future doctors visits will use telemedicine, with older patients reaping the benefit of more frequent consultation and better health.Patients Will Have Many Doctors: Team medicine is the wave of the post-vaccine future.Greg Poland of the Mayo Clinic told Kaiser that the team model allows me to see more patients more efficiently.Drugstores will do more vaccinations.To avoid the germs in doctors offices, one expert predicted, older patients will prefer to go to drugstores for regular vaccinations such as flu shots.Post-Vaccine Living: Travel Will Mean Shorter Trips, Fewer FlightsDomestic Road Trips Instead of Flights.
Many trips of 800 miles or less will likely become road trips instead of flights, Chicago Tribune travel columnist Ed Perkins told Kaisers Horovitz.Others anticipate that seniors will be much less inclined to travel abroad.Paying Extra for More Space.Older travelers who can afford it will pay extra for more space when they do decide to fly.
Some will book roomier seats in first class or business class.Others, according to Chicagos Perkins, will pay extra to buy all three seats in a row, just to avoid close proximity to a stranger on the flight.Medical Care and Cleanliness Will Be Selling Points.Hotels and resorts that cater to seniors will start promoting on-site medical care, to make guests feel more comfortable staying there.
The era is over of being removed from health care and feeling comfortable, one travel expert said.Hotels and cruise ships will increasingly make an obvious point of cleanliness as Perkins said, Employees will be wandering around with disinfecting fogs and wiping everything 10 times.Post-Vaccine Living: Older Workers and Retirees Will Increasingly Stay Close to HomeAging in Place is the Wave of the Future.Because of so many COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, more seniors will leave assisted living facilities and nursing homes to move in with their families, one expert said.
Families will generally move closer together, and many will reconsider multi-generational housing.Home Delivery Will Replace the Shopping Trip.Home delivery of almost everything will become the norm for older Americans, and in-person shopping will become much less common, said Kaiser.Older Workers Will Stay Home.Like just about everyone else, older workers these days are doing their jobs from home.
But unlike their younger counterparts, according to Kaiser Health News, The 60-and-up workforce increasingly will be reluctant to work anywhere but from home.Working from home may become the norm for many, instead of returning to the office.Post-Vaccine Living: Gatherings Will Be Smaller, Isolation More PrevalentSocial Gatherings are Changed Forever.Whenever or wherever large families gather, people exhibiting COVID-like symptoms may not be welcomed under any circumstances, Kaiser predicts.
The downside, however, is senior isolation.Depression will skyrocket among older people who isolate from family get-togethers and large gatherings, one expert told Horovitz.As the older population pulls back from engaging in society, this is a very bad thing.The Real Key to a Solid Estate Plan: an AgingOptions LifePlanWhen it comes to retirement planning, most people focus on one fairly narrow issue: money.
Financial planning is an important component of retirement planning.But people heading towards retirement often make the mistake of thinking that a little financial planning is all thats required, when in fact most financial plans are woefully inadequate.What about your medical coverage will that be adequate? What if you have to make a change in your housing status will that knock your financial plan off course? Are you adequately prepared legally for the realities of retirement and estate planning? And is your family equipped to support your plans for the future as you age? The best way we know of to successfully blend all these elements together finance, medical, housing, legal and family is with a LifePlan from AgingOptions.Thousands of people have discovered the power of LifePlanning and we encourage you to the same.Simply visit our website and discover a world of retirement planning resources.
Make certain your retirement planning is truly comprehensive and complete with an AgingOptions LifePlan.Age on!(originally reported at www.khn.org)
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