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Lack of equipment and technology literacy, challenges complying with health and safety precautions, and difficulty accessing food are some of the issues taking a toll on low-income older adults living in federal assisted housing during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the recently released results of a survey.
A report on the study by the American Association of Service Coordinators, in collaboration with researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, revealed the notable effects of having limited resources for technology, medical care and food during the pandemic. The authors said they hope the data, based on a survey of 1,440 service coordinators in June 2020, will be used to influence policies and change programs.
Lack of technology, knowledge
Service coordinators reported that affordable senior housing residents lacked the equipment and technology literacy to use video calls to connect with others, instead relying on telephone calls to communicate.
According to the survey, 77.1% of service coordinators reported that nearly all of the residents they serve have reliable phone access, whereas only 8% reported residents having reliable internet access, and only 2.4% reported residents having technology for video calls. About a third (33.7%) stated that few or no residents had the technology for video calls, and 20.7% reported a lack of reliable internet access.
“Reliable internet and technology, along with support for digital literacy, is essential to help increase access to telehealth, online grocery delivery and access to other programs,” according to a recommendation in the report. “Equipping each federally subsidized property with building-wide internet that is free for residents to access is the first step to ensuring residents can stay connected while social distancing and partake in telehealth.”
Safety and healthcare access
Although almost all service coordinators reported communicating with residents about preventing COVID-19 transmission, they said that maintaining social distancing can be challenging.
Approximately two-thirds reported that residents generally wear masks (68.1%) outside of their residences or are social distancing (63.4%). But only half (51.6%) of the coordinators reported having enough masks for residents.
Service coordinators also reported that residents are avoiding necessary medical care; 43.4% reported that residents avoided routine medical care, elective procedures and treatment of medical conditions, including falls and infections, during the pandemic. Fear of medical transportation vehicles and going to the doctor’s office were cited as barriers to accessing care, along with the inability of family members to accompany residents to medical appointments.
Residents also reportedly had difficulty picking up their medications from pharmacies (58.3%) and managing their medications (54.6%). Service coordinators also reported that residents had difficulty obtaining assistance with activities of daily living.
Resident mental health also suffered during the pandemic, according to the survey. Service coordinators indicated that residents reported feeling grief related to loss of normal function and social connections (60.6%), sadness or depression (53.2%), worry and anxiety (68.9%), loneliness (68.3%) and isolation (74.1%).
Food access
Most residents were able to meet their food needs, but health conditions or physical limitations made grocery shopping difficult (69%), and 56% of survey residents said that residents had difficulty preparing meals.
The majority of service coordinators (82.8%) agreed that residents were able to meet their food needs, and 74.9% said there was enough food or meal delivery services available to meet food needs. About half (55.4%) of service coordinators said that food and meal delivery is affordable for residents.
The majority of service coordinators indicated that they continued to connect residents to a wide array of food resources, including food stamps or Meals on Wheels. Almost all properties continued to provide referrals to nutrition services, and more than two-thirds of them (67.9%) reported distributing food, food vouchers or meals. A majority of service coordinators (78.9%) reported providing or facilitating food delivery services during the survey period.
The authors suggested that a coordinated response is necessary to support and maintain food access.
“Continued federal investments in food programs and delivery flexibilities have allowed service coordinators to quickly connect residents with meals,” they wrote.
