Stefan Jeremiah / Reuters
The elderly have not only proven to be one of the most vulnerable populations in our urban societies but also among the most affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the weakening immune system that comes with age, it causes a greater likelihood of developing many health issues (Khan). With the combination of these chronic conditions and a fragile immune system, it is so much harder for the older population to fight off this strain of Coronavirus. For the elderly that live in the U.S.’s most populous major cities, they face the most risk, due to higher rates of transmission among the citizens in these crowded areas.
Even more, many older Americans who reside in urban senior living facilities are currently being directly exposed to this virus. At Symphony South Shore, one Chicagoan senior home, 111 residents (70% of the population) have been infected with this virus, while at least 10 have died thus far (Struett). Because senior homes typically have very small living arrangements and with the nurses constantly entering and exiting these facilities, it is very simple for a virus to spread among their residents quickly with relative ease.
Similarly, the experiences of older citizens living in New York City’s SROs (single-room occupancies- government-subsidized facilities) have been uncovered due to COVID-19. The virus has made these Americans even more vulnerable as they are forgotten more and more due to the sole focus on the pandemic. Elderly residents of 12th Street SRO struggle with food insecurity and unsanitary living situations because the companies who usually provide these services are closed. They are forced to leave their homes in order to survive (Zeitchik). By leaving their shelters in pursuit of food and other resources, the elderly in these areas are putting themselves at further risk of contracting COVID-19 and subsequently death. If this virus is supposedly reintroducing other generations of Americans to the vulnerability of this group, how is it that our elderly continue to be ignored and isolated even in trying times like these?
If COVID-19 has taught Americans anything, it should be to value our elderly citizens much more. This not only includes spending more time with them but also hearing out their experiences. One form of experience that may be particularly important to listen to at these times includes health narratives. These stories not only serve a therapeutic value to our senior citizens but allow them to crucially form the norms surrounding symptoms and suffering (Kleinman), which is key during a health-crisis like a pandemic. It is more important now than ever before for physicians, nurses, and family members to stop isolating our senior citizens; we must listen to their illness narratives and pay attention to signs pointing to this virus. In the future, a few of us, aged into grandmas and grandpas, will be reminiscing on our health narratives with COVID-19.
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