Age Safer at Home
Some families are contemplating removing their elderly loved ones from senior living communities as we approach what may be the second wave of COVID-19. It is well documented that risk factors associated with COVID-19 increase with age. John Hopkins Medicine reports that adults 60 and older, especially those with preexisting medical conditions, in particular heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or cancer, are more likely to have severe – even deadly - coronavirus infection than other age groups. Assisted living and nursing home facilities will be forced to limit or maybe even ban visitation if the COVID-19 numbers continue to rise. Senior living facilities are undoubtedly doing their best to safeguard at-risk residents and curb outbreaks. But visitation restrictions come with their own set of challenges. Loneliness has been linked to depression, poor sleep quality and impaired cardiovascular function. A 2016 study by researchers at Newcastle Universit