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Coronavirus – or Covid-19 is now classed as pandemic.
In a video message recorded on Friday, 13 March 2020, UN chief António Guterres called for ‘prudence, not panic’ and assured the world that the COVID-19 virus will peak, and the global economy will recover but, until then, ‘we must act together to slow the spread of the virus and look after each other’.
It is critical we ensure the health and wellbeing of older people in our communities is priority, and that they don’t feel marginalised in any way.
As highlighted by HelpAge International, more than 80 per cent of those who have died from coronavirus in China have been aged over 60, according to the National Health Commission of China, and older people have been identified as the age group most at risk from the disease.
Furthermore, older people are at increased risk in low and middle income countries if coronavirus takes hold.
Each country may take a slightly different approach, but to avoid any confusion and misinformation, it is imperative everyone follows the guidance and advice from official sources, namely government and official national and global organisations.
The WHO website has a dedicated page with details about the disease, how people can protect themselves as well as informative videos, a situation dashboard and online training materials.
Visit the page here.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has information and guidance for healthcare professionals.
HelpAge International has a number of resources on its dedicated page including: Guidance and advice for older people, Guidelines for care homes and Protecting older people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you run a care home, you may also find useful the Care Provider Alliance’s guidance on infection prevention and control to protect the health and well-being of service users in care settings. It has a downloadable infection control checklist which provides a helpful checklist to help you prevent and control the spread of infection in your care setting. This document should be used in conjunction with national guidance and local policies.
LeadingAge is also developing essential guidance and tools and curating the most relevant resources for ageing services providers across the continuum of care.
While we are continuing to plan for the CommonAge Elders’ Forum in Rwanda on 22 June 2020, we are also making contingency plans should this event need to be cancelled.
Finally, thank you to the many organisations and individuals for your continued hard work in supporting and caring for older adults across the Commonwealth.
Stay safe everyone and look after yourselves and your community.
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