As we know, this too shall pass. And when we finally get pass the COVID-19 pandemic with widespread access to vaccines and home administered tests, what will the new normal look like — particularly for us adults over 60 who are the most vulnerable? How do you imagine you will receive healthcare, travel, shop — and how will the new normal affect your relationships with others?
Bruce Horovitz interviewed geriatric medical doctors, aging experts, futurists and industry specialists for his Aug. 3 article, “What Seniors Can Expect as Their New Normal in a Post-Vaccine World” for Kaiser Health News (www.khn.org), the nation’s leading nonprofit newsroom focused on health and health policy.
According to those experts, here are some predictions of how the new normal might look — particularly for older adults:
To decrease the number of visits to the doctor’s office, one in three visits will be virtual using telemedicine; pharmacies will do more vaccinations; and most intriguing is the possibility that in a few years there will be special devices at home to analyze urine and fecal samples. Oh boy!
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.
More people will avoid flying. Trips less than 800 miles will likely become road trips, and there will be less foreign travel. And when flying, older adults who can afford it will be looking for more room by flying business class, or for a couple paying for three seats so no one is between them. Hotels will market medical care such as advertising a doctor on-site or nearby. And disinfecting will be a marketing tool by having employees visibly wiping everything numerous times. And if you decide to take a cruise, they will require proof of vaccination for both passengers and cruise employees.
Because you know and trust the owners, local eateries will be more popular. Safety and cleanliness will be a selling point — even hiring employees just to wipe down tables, chairs and all high-touch points. And public restrooms will increasingly convert to no-touch toilets, urinals, sinks and entrances/exits.
More older adults will move in with their families instead of assisted living; home delivery of almost everything will become the norm for older Americans; and in-person shopping will become much less common.
And most distressing, because of the fear of COVID-19 and other contagious diseases, more older folks will disengage, becoming more isolated with higher incidences of depression.
Source: Hoodriver News