When COVID-19 forced sudden lockdowns in 2020, Americans realized quickly that the supply of services available at home did not match growing quarantine demands. Both the public and private sectors responded with shifts to delivering contact-free services. That pandemic shift may have long-term benefits for older adults seeking services to support aging in place.
Pandemic Impact Across Age Groups
Starting in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated quarantines meant that people of all ages suddenly stayed home. The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that most of us traveled less and visited fewer public venues, and nearly half of us worked from home.
Everything changed almost instantly, and our service economy began to struggle. Meeting even the most basic needs, such as accessing food and health care, became challenging. Our existing structures simply were not designed to support a home-centered life.
Pandemic Impact for Older Adults
The New York Times reported that older adults coped better than the rest of us, perhaps because isolation was not a big change. For many older adults who are aging in place, the pandemic looked much like life before COVID-19. Most older adults choose aging in place, meaning they remain in their homes as long as they are able. Many who age in place are active, but some face challenges getting out of their homes. In 2011, nearly 6% of people aged 65 or older left their homes rarely, and a 2020 study showed that number had more than doubled to 13%. Many older adults who are aging in place rely on services to support quality of life. Others also may buy products targeted to consumers over age 60 (members of the silver economy) to support aging in place (such as devices to monitor health).
Pandemic Service Shifts
The COVID-19 pandemic presented a new opportunity to introduce different types of service delivery across the age continuum. Examples of expanded pandemic service options included:
- Delivery or contact-free pick-up for groceries, prescriptions, and home goods available widely, even in food deserts and other underserved communities
- Telehealth and virtual medicine consultations for a variety of appointments and specialty care services, including behavioral and mental health providers
- Additional platforms for virtual or distal social interactions via telephone, computer, or other devices
- New offerings for exercising, participating in hobbies, and other remote activities
Many of these services did not exist or existed only on a small scale prior to the onset of COVID-19. By normalizing them through widespread pandemic acceptance, access and awareness increased across age groups. Even services for older adults that had existed prior to the pandemic pivoted to new delivery modes and, in many cases, witnessed increased demand.
To be clear, the pandemic created many challenges for older adults, who were more likely to contract COVID-19 and to become seriously ill. Because of disease susceptibility, older adults also were more likely to be characterized as vulnerable during the pandemic. For diverse older adults (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, rural, multilingual), these vulnerabilities exacerbated existing challenges. Some service providers for aging in place struggled with staffing and resources. Many older adults were unable to connect virtually, absent up-to-date technology and broadband internet access. The pandemic created new challenges for aging in place. However, it also facilitated development of new solutions that have the potential to outlast COVID-19.
Pandemic Services Lasting Impacts
New policy efforts highlight some of these pandemic-borne sustainability efforts.
- Regarding food delivery, cities like Minneapolis are working to limit fees on food delivery services in the hopes of continuing to offer widespread delivery at a more affordable cost. San Francisco and New York already implemented similar fee caps. Although these fee caps benefit patrons of all ages, they can increase accessibility for older adults.
- Concerning healthcare, Medicare approved coverage and billing for broader use of telehealth during the pandemic than ever before. Proposed legislation would sustain telehealth use beyond the COVID-19 emergency.
- Area Agencies on Aging also have expanded service offerings for aging in place via increased wellness checks by telephone, widened range for meal delivery at home, and pick-up options for congregate meal sites.
As vaccination rates increase and cities reopen, policymakers are faced with an opportunity to build upon lessons learned during the pandemic. We long for post-COVID normalcy, but for many older Americans, normal life before COVID-19 looked a lot like the pandemic. Using shared experiences to gain traction among lawmakers may help advocates highlight the need for service expansion. The silver lining of the global pandemic may be increased awareness of and services for aging in place, especially for marginalized older adult populations. New policies can provide more support, especially to marginalized older adults, while also offering business opportunities within the silver economy.
Lawren Bercaw