Caring for Seniors in a Time of COVID By Elder Law Attorney, KAREN HENSON
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ell, here we are 14 months into COVID shutdowns, masks, social distancing, and finally vaccines—with the hopes that NEXT year will be better. This virus came for our most vulnerable, our seniors. “Adults 65 and older account for 16% of the US population but 80% of COVID-19 deaths in the US.”1 The experts told us the best way to keep seniors safe from the virus was to not visit them in person. Unfortunately, while isolating seniors is good for preventing COVID-19, it is just the shroud of secrecy under which abuse thrives. As a partner of the Coordinated Response to Elder Abuse (“CREA”) in Shelby County, I can say 2020 was not as busy for CREA as one might have thought. We expected a surge in reports, but other than the financial/ internet scams that thrive around all chaos, the reports remained steady but not out of control. Of course, with all the technology and extra steps we all have had to adopt, it just felt like more work. Isolation makes seniors more vulnerable. Telemedicine does not work if granddad does not know how to work Zoom or does not have Wi-Fi. Doctors cannot see medical neglect if their patients are not coming into the office. Agencies that normally lay eyes and hands on aging populations disappeared, in a sense. Adult Protective Services cannot intervene if they are not allowed to enter 22
the home for fear of COVID. Code Enforcement used to walk neighborhoods and check in on seniors, as our more depressed neighborhoods typically have a high percentage of senior citizens who struggle to maintain their properties, but COVID prevented that personal touch. With the world slowly opening back up and most seniors having gotten their jabs, we are finally seeing
Community Legal Center received a grant from the Memphis Bar Foundation for its Elder Abuse Services. Learn more about how the CLC protects the dignity and safety of the elderly in this video.
