Tsiliy Tankover walks slowly, he is 94 years old, but his desire to live and enjoy is revealed in all the activities he carries out at the Choice in Aging adult care center, in the city of Pleasant Hill, where, thanks to the support of caregivers and companions, the pandemic has been less painful.
"It's a place full of life. I feel like I need people, and people need me," said the native of Odessa, a city in southern Ukraine, who has lived in California since 1980.
While Tsiliy, like many older adults, has navigated the pandemic calmly, experts in geriatrics - a branch of medicine dedicated to studying diseases that afflict older people and their care - pointed out that isolation and lack of socialization have been dangerous for this population group, as well as for those with disabilities.
In view of this and during an informative session held by Ethnic Media Services In collaboration with the California Department of Aging, experts stressed that vaccination and the promotion of booster shots is the key to helping these population groups reintegrate into their communities and reconnect with their families and friends.
When about 272 community-based senior day care centers in California closed, hundreds of thousands of seniors were left isolated, according to Susan DeMarois, director of the California Department of Aging.
Meanwhile, 71 percent of COVID-19 deaths in California are among people 65 and older, a worrying figure especially when there is a slowdown in obtaining vaccines and boosters among this population, since one-third of people over 60 in the U.S. are not fully vaccinated or have received any boosters.
But for DeMarois, things are changing. “We know today that many Californians have been vaccinated and boosted, including those over 50 who have received their second shot.”
He also recalled that there are services and support available from the Department he heads in all counties of the state.
“They can start by calling 800-510-2020 to be connected to the services and supports they need,” she said. “We will work where a person is, and we will connect them with support over the phone or virtually, and we will educate them on what is available in the community.”
In this regard, he noted that all people who have MediCal and Medicaid will be assisted and supported so that they find the necessary support to receive proper care and timely access to vaccines and boosters.
However, she stressed, "it is important for all MediCal eligibles to renew their contact information so that their benefits are not interrupted."
He also recalled that, in the coming months, people over 50 years of age who have an irregular immigration status or who are undocumented will be eligible for Medicare in California, and will therefore have access to all MediCal services.
While those who require emotional support in any language through warm conversation can call the Friendship Line at 888-670-1360, which is available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
For her part, Debbie Toth, president and CEO of Choice in Aging, said the past two years have been “incredibly difficult,” particularly for older adults.
“The fear of death was real every day. We were in a situation where older adults were dying and getting sick at extremely high and chilling rates.”
The situation at the time required asking this population to lock themselves in, contrary to what they had always been asked to do, since socialization is very important for older adults.
“We always tell older adults, don’t isolate yourself, it will affect your health,” Toth said. “And now we’re dealing with trying to come to terms with what happened.”
Knowing that seniors wanted to return to the centers, he stressed, they were told that the only way to do so would be to get vaccinated.
“Everyone got vaccinated and we reached 100 percent vaccination among older adults.”
Finally, after great efforts in vaccination and the administration of booster doses, the centre has reopened completely, although masks are still required inside the venue.
“They are finally coming together again in these centers, which allow them to live longer by connecting with each other to have more meaningful lives; and access to social and medical services,” Toth explained. “We need to be able to have a community to come together, to share our language, a culture, a friendship.”
“Vaccines and boosters are the only things that have made this possible for our aging population.”
For her part, internist Dr. Sara Levin, from the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, pointed out that older adults are one of the population groups most vulnerable to the pandemic, as they are often sick with pre-existing health conditions.
Currently, he pointed out, this group of the population is encouraged to use the vaccination resources in their area to obtain their boosters and thus end isolation, such as in care centers, where many of them meet, live together, exercise, receive physical and occupational therapy, in addition to health care.
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