Learning from the Pandemic to Build a Healthier Future for Older Adults

What a difference a year makes. In the summer of 2020, we were canceling vacation plans, stocking up on masks, and downloading Zoom backgrounds as we settled in for the duration of COVID-19. The summer of 2021 has been different in every way– people are vacationing at a record pace; we’ve reunited with loved ones and many have returned to the office. But the difference that the year 2020 will make in the lives of older adults remains to be seen. We must strive to take the lessons learned during the pandemic to create a better future for all, including our nation’s seniors.

In June, I participated in the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit panel on COVID-19 and the Future of Aging ?Led by moderator Richard Eisenburg, managing editor at Next Avenue, we discussed what the pandemic has taught us about the importance of investment in healthy longevity. It’s a critical question – if we try and go back to business as usual, we’ve squandered the potential to learn from the pandemic experience.

There are three areas of opportunity that stand out for me as we emerge from the pandemic:

Health Equity

One of the most devastating learnings from COVID is the impact of social determinants of health on older adults. As we learn more about why COVID was so deadly among this population, one factor is chronic disease, including preventable conditions such as obesity. These chronic illnesses don’t happen overnight – they are often the result of social determinants such as lack of routine healthcare, access to healthy foods, and socioeconomic factors. We must address the underlying issues that are keeping individuals from engaging in healthy activities throughout their lifespan and invest in solutions to address these issues. I am hopeful that there will be a greater sense of urgency because we saw the clear connection between social factors and whether seniors contracted COVID-19, how ill they became, and whether they survived.

?Virtual Solutions

Seniors have adapted to virtual solutions more readily than some expected, and that enables us to reimagine how we deliver clinical and wellness services. From telehealth to senior fitness, we have an opportunity to leverage technology to better support overall health and well-being. Our research shows that 84% of older adults will continue to use digital fitness offerings in addition to going to the gym. Sixty-eight percent have used video calls or live streaming to connect with friends and family, 60% for meetings and 52% for medical or therapy appointments. The lesson is that there are many ways to engage seniors in healthy lifestyles and we must continue to innovate to bring virtual solutions to this population.?

Diverse and Growing Demographic

Early in the pandemic, we realized that we needed to better understand the experiences of older adults to know how best to support them mentally, physically, and socially during the pandemic. Tivity Health launched a SilverSneakers Pulse Survey series last year to gain insights from our members on older adult well-being. We learned that seniors had vastly different experiences during COVID depending on where they lived, their age, whether they had social or family support, whether they had broadband access – the list goes on and on. It reminded us that this growing demographic – with 10,000 people turning 65 every day – represents many ages, stages, and experiences. We’ve since launched a second ongoing survey, the Senior Healthy Living Survey by SilverSneakers that is a biweekly snapshot of the general senior population. We’ve learned that we need to always be learning more about this population to deliver the best possible programs and care to fit their lifestyle.

There are many other lessons to be learned from the communal COVID-19 experience, and there will be mistakes, milestones, and breakthroughs throughout the pandemic recovery. The biggest lesson is that we should not discount the living laboratory of the pandemic. While we would all prefer not to have had such a devastating global crisis, it is an opportunity to rethink the future, especially for older adults.?