Will COVID-19 Mean The End For Retirement Homes?

16 July 2020
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The world has changed. Due to the ever-increasing threat of COVID-19 and the need to adjust to public safety measures such as social distancing and the wearing of masks, the world that many once knew to be their everyday normal has indeed disappeared. For most people, adjusting to the proper safety measures is a slight annoyance, yet critical to stop the spread of a worldwide pandemic. For the senior population, however, it is a matter of life, death, and livelihood. Many seniors who find themselves in retirement homes, for example, have completely adjusted every single aspect of their daily lives in response to COVID-19 and its effects. In many states, in-person visits have been banned altogether. With seniors unable to physically be near their loved ones, the result takes an understandably emotional toll for all involved. More and more, the option to simply remain at home and be provided care is being seen with favorable eyes and may, theoretically, make the institution of the retirement home itself a thing of the past. 

Seniors unable to commune with family members during the already difficult situation of being separated would truly benefit from at-home services. Those afraid of receiving a lower level of care in this manner should be rest assured that across all healthcare, innovations are being made to accommodate the effects of the pandemic. With the ability to provide healthcare in a familiar setting, companies may well be starting a trend that exclusively provides exceptional care to seniors who are afraid of entering into a retirement or senior care home facility or are restricting interactions with family members. This type of personalized in-home care would certainly be welcome considering the frightful effects many are facing due to the current pandemic. The CDC has stated that senior care facilities, "must remain vigilant for COVID-19 among residents," even when relaxing on the safety measures put in place. 

It is important to note that the institution of retirement homes themselves shall not be lost any time soon. Though in-home care is certainly a safer option, especially in light of a pandemic, there will always be circumstances that do not allow this preference to many seniors. Lack of family members for support, the need for more specialized and intensive care and some not even having a home to be treated from will restrict these seniors seeking in-home care. What is best is to focus on what does work and what brings the highest level of care as well as safety for the senior population. The future of senior care may certainly change, but with the ingenuity of companies that strive to adapt to this changing world, innovations in healthcare and the rise of quality senior home care will surely prevail.