Abstract
Many older adults have unmet needs and social challenges that can negatively impact their health and well-being, particularly during and after the COVID pandemic. These include social isolation, inadequate care or assistance with their daily activities, food insecurity, housing insecurity, poverty, and abuse/neglect/exploitation. An ED visit provides a unique and critical opportunity to identify these issues and initiate intervention for these vulnerable older adults. By assessing for unmet needs and social challenges, considering a team-based approach as to how they may be ameliorated, using online tools, and integrating telehealth and EMS, ED providers have the potential to dramatically improve the health and quality of life of older patients.
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Recommended Citation
Elman, Alyssa; Baek, Daniel; Gottesman, Elaine; Stern, Michael E.; Mulcare, Mary R.; Shaw, Amy; Pearman, Morgan; Sullivan, Michelle; Clark, Sunday; Platts-Mills, Timothy F.; Sharma, Rahul; and Rosen, Tony
(2021)
"Unmet Needs and Social Challenges for Older Adults During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Opportunity to Improve Care,"
Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine: Vol. 2:
Iss.
3, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17294/2694-4715.1004
Available at:
https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/jgem/vol2/iss3/4
Included in
Emergency Medicine Commons, Geriatrics Commons, Quality Improvement Commons, Social Work Commons
Published
August 20th, 2021
