Coronavirus: What Older Adults Need to Know

The CDC has identified older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung, or kidney disease at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness. According to the CDC, early data suggest older people are twice as likely to have serious COVID-19 illness.

This is likely because as people age, their immune systems change, making it harder for their body to fight off diseases and infection, and because many older adults are also more likely to have underlying health conditions that make it harder to cope with and recover from illness. Age increases the risk that the respiratory system or lungs will shut down when an older person has COVID-19 disease. That’s why the CDC is recommending that people at higher risk take the following actions:

• Stock up on supplies.
• Take everyday precautions to keep space between yourself and others.
• When you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact, and wash your hands often.
• Avoid crowds as much as possible.
• Avoid cruise travel and non-essential air travel.
• During a COVID-19 outbreak in your community, stay home as much as possible to further reduce your risk of being exposed.

To learn more about what older adults need to know about COVID-19, read Kathleen Cameron’s post on NCOA’s Center for Healthy Aging blog. For further reading, take a look at this article in the Washington Post that shares insights from infectious disease and geriatric-care specialists about the steps that can be taken to keep older people healthy in the face of coronavirus.