by Dorothea Vafiadis

The situation around the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing rapidly. Here is the latest advice from public health experts about the best way to protect yourself and to reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Some of these tips will be familiar to you and some are new.

It’s still true that the best way to stay safe is to limit your interactions with other people as much as possible and take precautions to prevent getting COVID-19 when you do interact with others.

Here are 4 things to remember.

1. Remember the rest of your health.

Many older adults have one or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or hypertension. For managing these conditions, consider seeing your doctor using a telehealth. We have some great resources to prepare you for that visit here.

Many health care providers are now encouraging some patients to schedule the routine visits they may have been putting off. Speak to your doctor about whether vaccinations and other preventive services are up to date to help prevent disease.

Do not delay emergency care, especially if you are experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain, or discomfort in your arms, back, or neck. These could be symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. Acting fast can save your life.

2. Practice physical distancing and stay at least 6 feet apart.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) still suggests you wear a cloth face covering or mask when you are around people who don’t live in your household.

It’s still best to limit your physical interactions with other people as much as possible. If you decide to go out or visit with family or friends, the safest approach is staying outdoors for optimal ventilation and keeping 6 feet apart. The closer you are to other people who may be infected, the greater your risk of getting sick.

Indoor spaces are more risky than outdoor spaces where it is harder to keep people apart and there’s less ventilation.

3. Use common-sense actions to stay safe.

Stock up on cleaning supplies. You should clean frequently-touched surfaces in your home such as light switches or doorknobs at least once per day.

Manage stress, get enough sleep, and wash your hands often (and for at least 20 seconds) with soap and water. If soap and water is not available, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Stock up on healthful foods, have 30 days of medication on hand, and try to stay physically and socially active. . Regular physical activity benefits your mind and body! Go for a walk or try chair exercises with NIH’s Go4Life here.

4. Ask for help if you need it.

If you are at high-risk of complications from COVID-19 or are unable to get items you need, consider contacting family or friends to lend a hand.

If you’re having trouble paying your bills, use our BenefitsCheckUp tool to see if you qualify for the hundreds of programs that help older adults pay for food, housing, utilities, medication, and more. Stay connected to family, friends and neighbors with phone calls, letters, e-mail, and through social media.

We hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy during this crisis. We are collecting stories of people’s COVID-19 experiences on our website, and you’re invited to share yours, too. It’s one more way to tell others about how the pandemic has changed life for older adults.

Talk to your doctor online, by phone, or e-mail

Use telemedicine, if available, or communicate with your doctor or nurse by phone or e-mail.

Talk to your doctor about rescheduling procedures that are not urgently needed.

If you must visit in-person, protect yourself and others

If you think you have COVID-19, notify the doctor or healthcare provider before your visit and follow their instructions.

Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when you have to go out in public.

Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Stay at least 6 feet away from others while inside and in lines.

When paying, use touchless payment methods if possible. If you cannot use touchless payment, sanitize your hands after paying with card, cash, or check. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when you get home.

Limit in-person visits to the pharmacy

Plan to order and pick up all your prescriptions at the same time.

If possible, call prescription orders in ahead of time. Use drive-thru windows, curbside services (wait in your car until the prescription is ready), mail-order, or other delivery services. Do the same for pet medicine.

Check with your doctor and pharmacist to see if you can get a larger supply of your medicines so you do not have to visit the pharmacy as often.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA), a trusted national leader working to ensure that every person can age well, is warning that the financial hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic will be much worse for older adults living alone, and this could force nearly 3 million older Americans in single households into possible poverty and or greater health risks.

Those are the sobering conclusions of Potential Financial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Single-Person Households, a new issue brief from NCOA and the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston. The brief is one of a 3-part series that examines historical data from the 2008 recession and applies those findings to today’s economic and public health crisis.

“Recent history shows us what happens to an already vulnerable population of older adults living in single households,” said Dr. Susan Silberman, NCOA Senior Director, Research & Evaluation. “Their far more precarious financial situation is worsened by an economic downturn to a greater degree than older adults living with others. This is only part of the story. Older adults living alone will likely face devastating health impacts related to social isolation.”

The analysis also found that older single person households are predominantly comprised of widows and widowers, and therefore the number of vulnerable older adults living in single households is likely to increase as married couples lose their partners because of the pandemic.

Although the analysis focused on the potential financial risks to older adults during an impending recession, COVID-19 adds a health component that will likely have devastating consequences for this age demographic on top of any economic impacts.

“It is critically important to maintain a strong social safety net and ensure that people who need to access benefits are able to do so, and to undertake policies that focus on narrowing financial disparities even within the older adult demographic that will face higher COVID-19 related impacts,” Silberman said.

Potential Financial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Single-Person Households, is one of three white papers, the entire series can be found here.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a trusted national leader working to ensure that every person can age well. Since 1950, our mission has not changed: Improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are struggling. NCOA empowers people with the best solutions to improve their own health and economic security—and we strengthen government programs that we all depend on as we age. Every year, millions of people use our signature programs BenefitsCheckUp®, My Medicare Matters®, and the Aging Mastery Program® to age well. By offering online tools and collaborating with a nationwide network of partners, NCOA is working to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. Learn more at ncoa.org and @NCOAging.

Senior News Line
by Matilda Charles

Some random thoughts for getting through the day …

Have you heard of custom puzzles? They’re available at a number of places online. (Read the reviews before you order and look for U.S. companies.) Select a favorite vacation or family photo, decide on the size of the puzzle and the number of pieces, send in your order and you’ll get back all the pieces to create a puzzle of that image. Call the company first to be sure of the details.

Buy stamps by mail and stay out of the post office. Ask the local post office to have your mail carrier bring out a stamp order form and envelope. Check off the ones you want, write a check payable to Postmaster and slide it into the envelope. Leave it in your outgoing mail and within a few days your stamps will be delivered to you.

Do you have enough indoor plants? Even if you have a few, can you use more? Plants are good for our indoor environment where we’re all spending so much time. Check your local nursery for curb pickup.

If you miss playing chess with others, you can play online. See www.chess.com/play/computer and play against the computer. Better yet, play against a pal using an old-school method: set up a board on each end and send your moves to each other via email.

On the other hand, too many people are trying to cut their own hair nowadays since too many salons and barber shops are closed. If you think you want to cut your own hair, don’t. If you really insist you need to cut your hair and haven’t done it before, go online to YouTube and watch a few dozen how-to videos about cutting hair. Then rethink your plan again. Whatever you do, don’t use regular kitchen or paper scissors. If you have to do this, invest in proper haircutting shears.

Coronavirus Scammers

Scammers have come up with even more ways to defraud us, this time using the coronavirus.

Contact tracers are people who make calls when someone you know has tested positive for the coronavirus. Their job is to trace the possible path the virus has taken from person to person. They only need health information and the places you’ve been, not financial or personal information. If someone calls you who insists on knowing additional information as part of the contact tracing, hang up.

If you get emails or calls from someone saying they have a cure for the virus, or a sure-fire method of being certain you don’t get it, hang up. Their next questions will likely be to ask for your personal or financial information, or a credit card number so you can pay for shipping. Don’t fall for it. There are no approved test kits or cures that can be handed out to the general public.

If you get email that’s supposedly from the government asking about where to send your stimulus relief check, ignore it. The government is not going to contact you about that. They’ll send your check (if you’re eligible for one) in the mail or they’ll deposit it directly into your account, the same one where they deposit your Social Security benefit. Scammers also will pretend to be people from your bank.

If you get a robocall saying you qualify for low-cost coronavirus insurance, hang up.

If you get suspicious email that looks like it might be from the government with information about coronavirus, don’t open it, and especially don’t click on any links. Those can put a virus or tracer on your computer.

To stay up on the news about the virus, use a legitimate source: www.ftc.gov/coronavirus. On that site you’ll find more information about avoiding coronavirus scams.

Beware … and stay safe.

Social Media Holds Hidden Dangers

Even before the lockdowns brought on by the coronavirus, too many seniors felt isolated. Now it’s even worse for many of us with the lack of face-to-face interactions … and we’ve turned to social media for connections to others.

There, on Facebook and Twitter, in chat rooms and email lists, we’ve found friends to talk to and pass the hours of this lockdown. We feel happy to have these people at the other end of the keyboard. It’s good for us.

Or maybe not.

The big problem with social media is that we really don’t know who is on the other end. The new friend who seems so interested in us might actually be a scammer, just waiting for the right moment to spring the trap and ask for money. How can you refuse, you’ll wonder, if someone you’ve come to know so well asks for help?

Or maybe we’ve shared too much information, such as our location or our real name.

Or how about the new friend who sends funny cartoons, one of which might contain a virus that leaves our computer open to hackers?

Add in an election year, and it’s all too easy to talk online with people who supposedly share our views. Quite commonly they ask for money or contact info.

Some things to think about:

If you really want to connect with others on social media, create a fake name for it. Learn how to block people and don’t add just anybody to your network or list. Don’t give out your real name or location, no matter how friendly other people seem.

Focus on an area of social media with a narrow, safe focus such as pets, cooking or gardening.

Better yet, call up a few people you already know and ask if they’d like to meet for online games, such as chess, or just chatting. They might feel just as isolated as you do and welcome your overture.

(c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.