"We Were Just Taking Our Marching Orders and Moving Forward With Whatever We Were Given": Policy Implications of Pandemic Quarantine and Social Isolation in Older Persons.

Abstract

No one could have foreseen the rapid onset of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and the resulting complications in an unprepared health-care system. One complication was intensification of social isolation (SI) (Cudjoe & Kotwall, 2020) in response to protective quarantine and lockdown in nursing homes and assisted living centers. This resulted in new or worsening symptoms of depression and anxiety, worsened dementia, feelings of despair, and failure to thrive (Abbasi, 2020; Elmer et al., 2020; Gorenko et al., 2021; Mukhtar, 2020; Plagg et al., 2020; Santini et al., 2020). In response, many state-level aging, disability, and community-based organizations designed and implemented interventions through collaborative public partnerships in attempts to mitigate the negative effects of SI (Advancing States, 2020). For example, Florida’s Department of Senior Services provided robotic companion pets to older persons in SI, persons with disabilities, and caregivers via funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act, passed by Congress on March 27, 2020 (Sontan, 2021). Additionally, Alabama reported the use of innovative approaches, such as weekly check-in calls and virtual social activities, while Arkansas paired staff with volunteers for regular conversations. No one could have foreseen rapid onset of the novel SARS-CoV-2 and resulting complications in an unprepared healthcare system. One complication was intensification of social isolation (SI) in response to protective quarantine and lock-down in nursing homes and assisted living centers.