Doha: Governments around the world are taking special care of the elderly as they are more prone to getting infected with COVID-19. Because of ageing and other chronic diseases, their immune system is not able to protect them against coronavirus.
The latest data from China indicates the great majority of reported cases were in older people.
The State of Qatar provides everything that enhances their position in society, and overcoming all the difficulties facing them, as they are an essential and important part of the Qatari society.
Many measures and decisions with protecting the rights of the elderly have been implemented at the governmental and non-governmental levels.
The Ministry of Public Health recently has stressed that it is working along with all the health sector institutions to provide the best possible care for the elderly, and that it has taken steps to protect them from COVID-19 and meet their medical and psychological needs.
National Health Strategy Lead for Healthy Ageing, Dr Hanadi Al Hamad, the Medical Director of Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Rumaillah Hospital and Qatar Rehabilitation Institute, said that “This difficult period poses a double challenge for the elderly, as they need many health services, and at the same time we work to reduce their exposure to others and not to leave the house without extreme necessity, reported QNA.
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has designated a hotline for the elderly to provide urgent medical advice. Also doctors are now providing remote consultations via video and telephone systems to enable elderly patients to speak to their doctor while they are at home.
“People who are older or who have underlying medical conditions are at risk for the most severe consequences, should they contract COVID-19. It may seem extreme, but older adults, especially those who already have health challenges, are being urged to stay at home as much as possible,” said HMC on its website.
It has developed a comprehensive plan to reach out to the elderly to give them information they may not have seen or understood, and to help them get the right care they need. Whether checking if they have enough medication or reminding them about the importance of social distancing, or just to ask how they are feeling, these important calls are designed to reassure them that their healthcare team is there for them.
“An elderly telephone reassurance service has been launched with staff from the Geriatric and Long-term Care Department at Hamad Medical Corporation contacting people who are 60 years and older. An additional aim of this initiative is to identify any potential healthcare risks early on and arrange appropriate medical care,” said HMC.
The Centre for Elderly Empowerment and Care (Ehsan), said that “in order to continue empowering and supporting older people and their families during this crisis and home quarantining phase, Ehsan sees its role in community-based outreach and support for this particular age group a national and collective social responsibility.”
One of the services provided by Ehsan to Elderly people includes reaching out to all elderly people who are beneficiaries of Ehsan’s services (home-care, physical therapy, and Ehsan clubs) through the launching of a centre-wide tele-community outreach service that regularly checks in with older persons to assess their overall condition and provide advice, reassurance, and raise their morale.
Text messages with key awareness raising guidance are also being disseminated to the mobile phones of registered families, said Mubarak bin Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Executive Director of the Centre for Elderly Empowerment and Care (Ehsan).
The services also includes establishing a helpline service that receives calls from older persons in the community and their families and provides them with guidance, general psycho-social support during this crisis, and referral when needed.
Ehsan also launched an awareness campaign entitled ‘Their health is precious to us’ through social media platforms to disseminate information and raise awareness about the virus and its consequences, and empower older persons with knowledge and advice on how to safeguard the mental and physical health in the coming weeks and months.
Dr. Muhammad Al Taher, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, at Hamad Medical Corporation, said that this pandemic affected everyone psychologically.
Speaking to Qatar TV, he said that these pressures have a major impact on people’s health, especially fear of disease, anxiety during sleep, and sadness on affected cases.
There is no doubt that its negative impact will be more on the age, and therefore psychological experts advise that the elderly should stay away from rumours and the need to take information from its basic sources only, as well as reduce the follow-up of the media and unnecessary news.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented fear and uncertainty, especially among older adults.
The elderly rely on social connection more and they need it now more than ever. The elderly and retired sometimes need a helping hand and they also often need to have people around them. With India practicing a nation-wide lock down and social distancing vulnerable seniors could be feeling more alone than usual, said Unicef on its website.
It also added that “There are several reasons why the elderly are somewhat more vulnerable— they have more chronic conditions than younger people, their aging immune system makes it harder to fight off diseases, infections and viruses. Recoveries are usually slower and more complicated.”
