Virus

We have known for a long time that social isolation and loneliness in older adults are at epidemic proportions in our country and can take a significant toll on the physical and mental health of seniors. (For a deeper analysis on this, take a look at the highly-praised new book…

If you’ve heard nothing else about the coronavirus, you’ve probably heard the phrase “testing, testing, testing.” Public health experts and political pundits have repeatedly warned that the country cannot limit the spread of COVID-19 and fully open up until we have adequate testing to determine the prevalence of the coronavirus…

Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries of the coronavirus outbreak has nothing to do with the virus itself, but rather what may be “collateral damage” from the pandemic: that is, patients who need important non-COVID-19 medical care but are not showing up at physician’s offices or hospitals. Given the guidance…

Many of us have probably lost track of how many weeks it’s been of quarantining at home and becoming all-too-familiar with our living room couches. Chances are, despite the improving weather, you may not be moving as much as you used to and your normal fitness routines may have fallen…

Raise your hand if the past several weeks have left you feeling anxious, uncertain, and perhaps even outright scared. With good reason, you may be experiencing emotions and thoughts you’ve never felt before, and the uncertainty of the timing and outcome of this pandemic may only heighten the stress and…

As difficult as this pandemic has been for patients, caregivers, health care workers, and the population as a whole, nowhere has the devastation and distress been worse than in long term care facilities, especially nursing homes. Starting with a frail and vulnerable older population, compounded by already existing staff shortages…