Older adults with cognitive impairment who live alone are hit hard by pandemic
The pandemic has exacerbated isolation and fears for one very vulnerable group of Americans: the 4.3 million older adults with cognitive impairment who live alone.
As the coronavirus continues to claim more lives and upend others, researchers led by UC San Francisco are calling for tailored services and support for older adults living alone with memory issues, who are experiencing extreme isolation, and are exposed to misinformation about the virus and barriers to accessing medical care.
In their qualitative study, researchers interviewed 24 San Francisco Bay Area residents whose average age was 82. Of these, 17 were women, and 13 were either monolingual Spanish-speakers or Cantonese speakers; 18 were widowed or divorced; 10 depended only on the in-person care of their family, eight only on in-person home care aides and six on both family and aides. Findings appear in