Don’t Drop Your Guard Against COVID, Flu, and RSV

Published in RINewsToday on December 12, 2022

COVID 19 cases across the nation are fewer in number than this time last year. But health care experts say that the Covid-19 is here to stay.

A new poll released by the Washington, DC-based American Psychiatric Association (APA), the nation’s oldest medical association, shows that while nearly a third of Americans report that while they anticipate being more stressed out this holiday season than last year, they are less worried about spreading or contracting COVID at a festive family gathering. Researchers say the findings, reported in the Dec. 2022 Healthy Minds Monthly Poll, reported they were more worried about affording holiday gifts. The APA’s study was conducted online by Morning Consult from Nov. 9-14, 2022, among 2,209 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Holiday Worries, Less Concern about COVID Pandemic

According to the poll’s findings, 31% of adults say they expect to feel more stressed this upcoming holiday season compared to last. This is an increase of 9 percentage points since 2021. Potential drivers of holiday stress include worries like affording holiday gifts (50%) and meals (39%) and finding and securing holiday gifts (37%). Younger adults and those making less than $50,000 are more likely to worry about affording the holidays, say the researchers.

Compared to 2021, adults are less worried this holiday season about spreading (35% in 2021 versus 25% in 2022) or contracting (38% in 2021 versus 26% in 2022) COVID-19 at a holiday gathering, noted the researchers. Adults are also less worried about spending time with family who have different views about COVID-19 (30% in 2021 versus 18% in 2022),” they say.

“This is a busy time of year for many people, and it’s common to put a lot of expectations on ourselves during the holidays,” said APA President Rebecca W. Brendel, M.D., J.D in a Dec. 1st statement announcing the study’s findings. “We can all benefit by enjoying moments that bring meaning and belonging, but those times are different for each of us. It’s also okay to opt out of some or all events if they bring more stress or distress than joy. There is no one right way to spend the holiday time of year,” she said.

On the positive side, the researchers added, “the plurality of adults (47%) say they are most looking forward to seeing family and friends this holiday season, of the options tested. That varied by age: Older adults (45-64: 50%, 65+: 63%) are more likely than younger adults (18-34: 37%, 35-44: 36%) to say so. A fifth of American adults (21%) said they were most looking forward to eating good food.”

The researchers noted that parents (39%) are more likely than non-parents (27%) to say they anticipate experiencing more stress this holiday season compared to last year. “Young adults and Democrats are more likely to worry about discussing politics and spending time with family with different viewpoints about COVID-19 during the holidays,” they say.

“While Americans are looking forward to seeing family this year, it’s important to remain vigilant about COVID-19, the flu and RSV,” warns APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. “We are in a different situation than in 2020 or even 2021, but it’s still important to take precautions and stay home if you are sick,” she said.

Beware of the “Tripledemic”

With the Christmas holidays just weeks away, older adults must now not let their guard down about protecting themselves against a “tripledemic” of COVID, flu and RSV, says Nick Landekic, a retired scientist and biotechnology entrepreneur who is a contributor to RINewsToday.

“COVID is now a pandemic of older people,” warns Landekic in a Dec. 9 article in the state-wide news blog. “With the year-end holidays upon us and infection rates rising across the country, the stark new reality is COVID is now a pandemic of older people,” he says.

“Right now, is a particularly risky time with a ‘tripledemic’ of COVID, flu, and RSV, with almost the entire country at ‘high’ or ‘very high’ levels of infection. Hospitalizations and deaths are both up sharply over the past two weeks, with deaths increasing as well,” says Landekic.

According to Landekic, the most accurate predictor of ending up hospitalized or dying from COVID is age. “Older people are thousands of times more likely to die of infection than younger persons,” he says, noting that the statistics bear this out. “Ninety percent of COVID deaths are now among those over 65. Over 300 Americans continue to die of COVID every day, and nearly 1,000 just on December 7 – a rate of over 100,000 a year – and most of them are over 65,” he says.

(COVID is now a pandemic of older people – Nick Landekic: https://rinewstoday.com/covid-is-now-a-pandemic-of-older-people-nick-landekic)

“You don’t want to get sick from one of these viral infections and miss visiting with family and friends during the Christmas and New Year holidays, says Michael Fine, MD, author and chief health strategist for the City of Central Falls, adding that “we’re in a “tripledemic” of COVID, flu and RSV (filling the nation’s pediatric hospitals). “It’s the worst flu year we’ve seen in recent memory,” he says, noting that “it has come early and hit hard.”

Dodging the Bullet

During the upcoming holidays, Fine says it is easy to protect yourself against the “tripledemic” to prevent infection. He recommends the importance of getting a bivalent COVID booster if you haven’t had a booster during the last four months.

“You want to be extra careful two weeks before attending holiday gatherings,” says Fine, a family physician who contributes on health and medical issues (as well as short stories) for RINewsToday and is the former Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. Specifically, wear masks in stores and avoid restaurants and bars for about two weeks before a gathering or planned travel. “I don’t think many are eating outside at this point,” he quips.

“Wearing a mask in an airport terminal is important when traveling to family gatherings,” says Fine. While there is good air infiltration in the air, it is not so in terminals, he adds.

When attending a holiday gathering with multiple households, it is a very good idea for everyone attending to take a COVID 19 home test. “It is not perfect but better than nothing,” says Fine.

“Those who have not been vaccinated yet, you still have time to do so before attending those holiday gatherings,” says Fine

Fine believes that people who haven’t yet been vaccinated can take comfort from the last two years and our now extensive experience with the vaccine. “We have two years of experience with the vaccine with billions being vaccinated. We haven’t seen any substantial programs. It’s now the best tested vaccine in history,” notes Fine.

Inflation less of an issue for seniors in Assisted Living

Published in RINewsToday o December 5, 2022

A report released TODAY by PayingforSeniorCare.com finds that inflation of goods and services has severely impacted seniors, but inflation of senior living is much softer by comparison.

The two-part report shares findings based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 55+, and data showing the best and worst states for senior living inflation in the United States. Researchers say that this aims to both highlight seniors’ inflation concerns, and provide informational resources for those who need financial assistance.

According to the survey findings, 4 in 10 seniors worry that they won’t be able to afford food and groceries in the future due to inflation, and 1 in 5 say that inflation has caused their grocery bill to increase by more than $250 per month. Overall, 1 in 4 seniors say that they’ve had to make drastic changes to their lifestyle to cope with inflation. For example, more than 1 in 10 seniors say they’ve had to skip meals or by delaying needed medical procedures to save money.

However, researchers say that inflation for senior living is not as extreme. According to data from Caring.com, the nation’s leading senior living referral services, senior living in the U.S. has not experienced the inflation that other sectors of the economy have. Average assisted living costs have only increased 3.7 percent since 2019, while the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of consumer goods and services, has risen by 15.6 percent during the same time period.

“Some may find it surprising to know that since 2019, average inflation for the cost of senior living in the U.S. is less than 1/4th the cost of general inflation (3.7% vs. 15.6%). Many don’t also realize that many of the essential expenses rising in cost — food, energy, gas — are included in the rate of a senior living community,” says Han Hwang, Caring.com’s EVP of Partnerships.

“While inflation remains a serious concern for seniors and the population in general, relatively low occupancy rates in senior living communities driven by COVID-19 has largely kept inflation at bay,” notes Hwang, “However, we are hearing from operators that rates will continue to increase over time – those prices just haven’t caught up yet with inflation in general,” he says.

Hwang adds: “For those not yet living in senior living, the report’s insights on the alarmingly high number of seniors skipping meals, medicines and medical procedures due to inflationary pressures should be concerning to everyone. These are essentials for seniors’ well-being, and shouldn’t be skipped. We hope this report will help direct seniors and their families to support resources as soon as possible.

This report finds that not all states have enjoyed the same low inflation of senior living. Several, including North Dakota and Hawaii, have inflation rates of over 20% since 2019 – significantly outpacing the 15.6% inflation rate of the CPI.

Over age 65 seniors comprise 17.7% of Rhode Island’s population. This percentage is expected to grow to 25% by 2030. From the Paying for Senior Care report: Rhode Island is ranked 7th in this study for states with lowest inflation rates for senior living. Rhode Island is among the states that saw a decrease in the average cost of assisted living since 2019, averaging $108 less per month and $1,301 annually in rent and care costs for assisted living.

This report is made up of two parts: an online survey conducted in October of 2022 of 1,000 U.S. seniors, and data and analysis based on the cost of senior living between 2019 and 2022 according to data provided by Caring.com.

For those who need specific help and guidance on coping with the cost of inflation, PayingForSeniorCare.com offers a free service – Senior Care Experts who can guide seniors or their loved ones through the decision making process, and provide personalized advice based on their budget and care needs. This service is available by calling (855) 481-6777.

For a copy of this report, go to www.payingforseniorcare.com/2022-inflation-and-seniors-impact-report.Herb Weiss, LRI’12, a Pawtucket writer covering aging, health care and medical issues. To purchase his books, Taking Charge: Collected Stories on Aging Boldly, and a sequel, go to herbweiss.com.

Seniors key to Democratic win

Published in RINewsToday on November 28, 2022

Just weeks before the midterm elections, Oct. 18^th, AARP Rhode Island released a voting analysis of the Sept. 13^th Rhode Island primary election, revealing that voters ages 50 + were the most powerful election deciders. More than 70% of Rhode Island’s older voters turned out to vote.

A newly released Washington, DC-based AARP study found that older voters also had a major impact on 63 of the most competitive House races nationwide, including Rhode Island, in the mid-term elections.

AARP’s post-election survey of voters should send a powerful message to Capitol Hill, that is “Don’t take the votes of seniors for granted.”

According to AARP’s voting analysis findings, voters 50 and over made-up 61% of the 2022 electorate in the targeted Congressional Districts. The predicted red wave sputtered because of older female voters, say the researchers. Democrats were able to win these districts because of the senior vote, particularly women over 65 who shifted away from voting GOP compared to their intensions from this summer.

The researchers found that President Biden’s job approval rebounded markedly, driven by voters aged 65+, particularly among women. When they looked at former President Trump’s approval rate, they found it had decreased among this same group.

AARP also noted that Black and Hispanic voters continued to drift to the GOP while Democrats continued to gain white, college age and female voters.

AARP’s voting analysis study also found that in 63 most competitive House races that were also surveyed in July, voters age 65+ shifted from favoring Republican candidates 50% to 40%, to favoring Democrats 49% to 46% in November. The voting analysis found that Democrats came away with a 2-point lead over Republican candidates among voters overall (18+) and voters aged 50-64 leaned Republican by 8 points. Overall, voters 50+ accounted for 61% of the electorate in these key districts.

“Americans aged 50+ once again proved that they are the nation’s most powerful voters and they were the deciders in this year’s midterm elections,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer in a statement released with the 36-page report on Nov. 17, 2022. “They were crystal clear that they want elected officials to work together to address crucial issues that will ensure their health and financial security. Elected officials and candidates can’t afford to ignore this formidable group of voters and the issues that matter to them,” she notes.

Top concerns of older voters

According to AARP’s National Targeted Congressional District-post-election Survey, inflation and rising prices (33%) were the top concern for voters overall, followed by abortion (28%) and threats to democracy (25%).

The survey also showed differences in the issues most important to voters 50-64 vs. those age 65 and older. Inflation and rising prices were top of mind for the 50-64 age group. Among voters 65+, threats to democracy (30%), inflation (29%), and Social Security and Medicare (24%) topped the list, the study’s findings indicate.

The researchers also found that more than half of voters (53%) said they were worried about their personal financial situation, with 65% of those who voted Republican and 42% who voted Democrat said they were worried.

The study’s report also noted that 70% voted more for the candidate they chose, rather than against the other candidate; Independents and younger voters were more likely to say they voted against the other candidate.

The analysis also found that a majority (53%) voted for the candidate they thought would work in a bipartisan manner, while 42% preferred candidates they thought stayed true to their beliefs and stood firm in their positions. By 36 points, Democrats preferred candidates who they thought were bipartisan, while Republicans voted by a 25 point margin for candidates they thought would stay true to their beliefs.

Methodology

As to the study’s methodology, AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research to conduct this survey. The firms interviewed 2,353 adults in 63 of the U.S. House districts that Cook Political Report rated as “Lean” or “Toss Up” as of Nov. 7, 2022. This included a sample of 1,903 2022 general election voters distributed across the districts and 450 adults who did not vote in the 2022 general election. The interviews were conducted via landline, cellphone, and SMS-to-web between November 9-10, 2022.

AARP’s statement noted that approximately 30 voter interviews were conducted in each congressional district and any non-voters who were encountered were also interviewed. The overall sample was weighted by age, gender race and education to be representative of the adult population in the 63 congressional districts based on demographic data from the U.S. Census and consumer data. The voter sample was weighted on congressional vote choice to match 2022 election results.

To see the completed research results, go to:

Click to access aarp-targeted-congressional-districts-post-election-voter-survey.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00550.046.pdf