"Celebrating old age": an obsolete expression during the COVID-19 pandemic? Medical, social, psychological, and religious consequences of home isolation and loneliness among the elderly
Alexandru Burlacu,Ionut Mavrichi,Radu Crisan-Dabija,Daniel Jugrin,Smaranda Buju,Bogdan Artene,Adrian Covic +6 more
TLDR
Higher levels of mortality/morbidity due to “CO VID-19 versus non-COVID-19” polarisation oblige the healthcare community to find ways to provide proper care for its elders, and various religious practices provide resources for coping with isolation/overcoming loneliness.Abstract:
Since epidemiological arguments favouring self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic are widely recommended, the consequences of social isolation/loneliness of older people considered to be at higher risk for severe illness are neglected. We identified and described medical, social, psychological, and religious issues, indirectly generated by the COVID-19 lockdown. Mortality induced by SARS-CoV-2 and death from other "neglected" issues were put in balance. Arguments for strict lockdown from most European countries are compared with a relaxed approach, as has been applied in Sweden. Social isolation affects disproportionally the elderly, transforming it into a public health concern. One witnesses openly ageist discourse, while painful decisions to prioritising ventilation for younger patients deepens the sense of hopelessness. Fear has led to anxiety disorders and depression. Various religious practices provide resources for coping with isolation/overcoming loneliness. Higher levels of mortality/morbidity due to "COVID-19 versus non-COVID-19" polarisation oblige the healthcare community to find ways to provide proper care for its elders.read more
Citations
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A Polish and German Population Study of Quality of Life, Well-Being, and Life Satisfaction in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Ilona Bidzan-Bluma,Monika Bidzan,Paweł Jurek,Leszek Bidzan,Jessica Knietzsch,Marcus Stueck,Mariola Bidzan +6 more
TL;DR: Quality of life, life satisfaction, and well-being during the pandemic is affected by age, trait anxiety, and Coronavirus threat.
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Psychological impacts and online interventions of social isolation amongst older adults during COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review.
TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors summarized the psychological impacts of social isolation among older adults during COVID-19 and reviewed the benefits and limitations of online interventions used to combat social isolation.
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COVID-19 in Poland: potential associations with epidemiology, population and healthcare quality
TL;DR: The positive correlation between DCI and both mortality and case fatality suggests that DCI could be considered as an indirect indicator of healthcare burden, compared to incidence rate alone.
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Big data driven COVID-19 pandemic crisis management: potential approach for global health
TL;DR: The potential of big data technologies for controlling COVID-19 transmission and managing it effectively and several limitations ofbig data usage including unethical use, privacy, and exploitative use of data are explored.
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Changing patterns of urologic emergency visits and admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective, multicenter, nationwide study.
Pawel Rajwa,Mikolaj Przydacz,Wojciech Krajewski,Blazej Kuffel,Piotr Zapała,Aleksandra Krzywon,Alexander Jorge Cortez,Bartosz Dybowski,Remigiusz Stamirowski,Marcin Jarzemski,Rafał B. Drobot,Pawel Stelmach,Krystyna Mlynarek,Mateusz Marcinek,Maciej Przudzik,Wiktor Krawczyk,Jakub Ryszawy,Dominik Choragwicki,Lukasz Zapala,Marcin Lipa,Michal Pozniak,Dawid Janczak,Szymon Słomian,Jan Łaszkiewicz,Marcel Nowak,Marcin Miszczyk,Marek Roslan,Michał Tkocz,Romuald Zdrojowy,Andrzej Potyka,Tomasz Szydełko,Tomasz Drewa,Piotr Jarzemski,Piotr Radziszewski,Marcin Słojewski,Artur A. Antoniewicz,Andrzej Paradysz,Piotr Chlosta +37 more
TL;DR: The results indicate that some of the patients requiring urgent medical help did not appear at the ED or came later than they would have done before the pandemic, presenting with more severe complaints, and there was a trend towards more negative laboratory parameter profiles in 2020.
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