COVID-19 Updates

COVID-19 Updates

Older adults are at particular risk for serious illness caused by COVID-19 and those 50 and older, particularly with multiple comorbidities, are at higher risk of dying if infected. GSA continues to advocate for its members and older adults as the pandemic continues to disrupt systems of care, research, and education. Use the GSA Connect Community on COVID-19 to share your insights with others and to post questions.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Many vaccines are in the process of being developed to prevent COVID-19. After healthcare workers and long-term care staff and residents, essential workers and older adults have been prioritized to receive the vaccine. GSA members can help build confidence in conversations with older adults about the vaccine, the providers administering the vaccine, and the process by which the vaccine has been developed. Several resources are included below to assist with those conversations.

• Championing Vaccine for Older Adults and Staff in Long-Term Care Settings
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit
• Vaccinating America Against COVID-19: panel discussion
• FDA Emergency Use Authorization Updates
• Read COVID-19 content from the March 2020 issue of the GSA NAVP E-Newsletter for information on vaccine development. (This is an excerpt from the full issue.)

GSA COVID-19 Task Force Resources

The GSA COVID-19 Task Force is monitoring the outbreak and will share resources as they are developed. The best source of information on current cases and guidance for healthcare professionals is the CDC website.

• A COVID-19 DECISION AID: How Do I Choose When to Interact with People or Take Part in Activities Outside My Home During the Pandemic? (Also available in PDF format in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin.)
• Understanding Ageism and COVID-19 infographic (Also available in Spanish)
• Aging and Immunity: Why Older Adults Are Highly Susceptible to Diseases Like COVID-19 (Also available in Spanish and Mandarin)
• Distancing: Physical Separation Without Social Isolation from the GSA National Adult Vaccination Program Workgroup (Also available in Spanish)
• GSA CEO James Appleby blog on navigating the weeks ahead
• Apply reframing aging principles to communications: This two-page tips guide illustrates the importance of how we talk to — and about — each other. Effective and inclusive communication is especially important during a time of genuine crisis. Check it out and sign up for a regular newsletter from the FrameWorks Institute, GSA’s strategic partner in the Reframing Aging Initiative.

GSA Webinars

• The Synchronous, Virtual Functional and Frailty Measurement in Research and Clinical Practice: Guidance from the Literature and Experts (September 15, 2021)
  
  • Tip Sheets for the Synchronous, Remote Administration of Objective Functional and Frailty Measures Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Using Video Conferencing
• Hearing- and Vision-Related Strategies for Clinical Research With Older Adults During COVID-19 (June 24, 2020)
  • Addressing Sensory Loss Checklist (Download for tips on how to account for the sensory needs of older adult study participants in your research during and beyond the pandemic.)
• Aging Native American, Rural, and Homeless Populations: Engagement and Advocacy During COVID-19 (July 22, 2020)
• Understanding Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Influenza, and COVID-19: Preparing for the Fall (August 31, 2020)
• Geriatric Oral Health and COVID-19: Old Problems, New Challenges, Part 1: Issues and Research Opportunities (October 9, 2020)
• Geriatric Oral Health and COVID-19: Old Problems, New Challenges, Part 2: Case Studies (October 16, 2020)
• The Intersection of Aging and COVID-19 (October 20, 2020)
• Raising Adult Immunization Rates — Using Routine Vaccination to Prepare for COVID-19 (November 19, 2020)
• The Synchronous, Virtual Functional and Frailty Measurement in Research and Clinical Practice: Guidance from the literature and experts (September 15, 2021) - register now
  • Background paper
  • Printable tip sheets

AGHE Information for Educators

• Explore GSA's Ageism First Aid,an online multi-module course designed to help change the common negative misconceptions and myths about aging by replacing them with facts that should be common knowledge. The course will support factual conversations about aging and spark widespread use of positive aging-related language among people in the health and helping professions.
• GSA opened up access to all section forums on GSA Connect, including the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) community. Our members there are sharing tips for online teaching as many transition to virtual classrooms.
• AGHE Peer-2-Peer Sessions (virtual discussions to help educators prepare for the 2020 fall semester in light of the impact of covid-19)
  
  • Clinical Placements: Exploring Virtual Options Slides (Session Recording | Session Slides)
  • Service Learning: The Good, the Bad, and the Challenges in the Time of COVID-19 (Session Recording | Session Slides)
  • Tips for Preparing to Lecture in Your Online Class (Session Recording | Session Slides)
• AGHE Teaching Briefs
  • Open Educational Resources
  • Links to Useful Information and Resources About COVID-19
  • Links to Useful Information and Resources for Wrapping Up Your (Online) Course
  • Adapting Your Final Exams and Assessments
  • Teaching Tips for Online Instruction
  • Starting the Conversation: Anti-Racist Pedagogy and Gerontology
• AGHE Biblio Briefs
  • Articles in Gerontology and Geriatrics Education on Ageism: Practice and Measurement
  • Articles in Gerontology and Geriatrics Education on Dementia Education
  • Articles in Gerontology and Geriatrics Education on Online Instruction in Gerontology

GSA Journals

All of GSA journals have published multiple articles on the impact of the pandemic. To search for a specific topic, please visit the GSA Journals page. The following are special issues or virtual collections specific to COVID-19. 

•  The Gerontologist
  • Special Issue: Gerontology in a Time of Pandemic, Part I & Part II 
•  Series A Virtual Collections
  • Medical Sciences - Virtual Collection: COVID-19
  • Medical Sciences - Virtual Collection: COVID-19, Part 2
  • Biological Sciences - Virtual Collection: COVID-19 
•  Series B Virtual Collections
  • COVID-19 Healthcare Challenges for Older Adults
  • COVID19- Trends, Disparities and Consequences for Older Adults
  • What Can We Learn About Psychological Aging By Studying COVID-19?
• Public Policy and Aging Report
  • Policy Considerations for a Post-COVID Presidency