"Complacency to the ongoing loss of life during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic may be the most unfortunate consequence of ageism. Popular accounts of younger patients at apparently lower risk having poor outcomes serve as reminders to maintain mitigation efforts, perhaps because the stories of elderly individuals dying do not have the same effect. Ultimately, the pandemic has forced us to see how we value or devalue the lives of older adults. If older lives were valued equally, arguments to compromise public health for economic reasons or resist small sacrifices of personal autonomy would ring hollow.

Aging is universal. All of us should celebrate this common journey. Recognition of the harms created by structural ageism is a necessary step toward a healthier and more equitable nation."

Go here -> https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2772140

Repost.

"The majority of Covid-19 fatalities globally have been among people in the age group of Trump and his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden. Around 80 percent of American deaths and 94 percent of European deaths have been among those aged 60 or over. Given that America's most powerful and prominent national political leaders are all in their 70s, it would have been reasonable to expect more caution from some of those leaders — and more attention from all of them to the needs of their peers.

There is plenty of evidence the elderly are not being given their due in terms of attention and resources. As the world races towards delivering vaccines, an analysis published this week found older people have been excluded from half the human trials for Covid-19 vaccines, bringing into question their eventual efficacy on the people whose health is most affected."

Go here -> https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations/2020/10/02/time-to-focus-on-the-older-forgotten-covid-victims-490498

"What is something “worth” in the marketplace? Who gets to decide that? If you ask someone steeped in classical economic theory, they will tell you that something is worth exactly what someone else is willing to pay for it. They will say that the “market” decides, through the laws of supply and demand. And they will say that all of these individual market transactions come together to make up “the economy.”

It should be clear to most of us by now, but classical economic theory doesn’t actually explain how the economy works, at least not in a way that is meaningful to those who actually live in it.

Care work is a perfect example. Classical economic theorists would tell us that care work simply isn’t very valuable, and neither are the workers who conduct it. If the best way to determine something’s worth is how much people receive in payment for it, then this would be exactly right."

Go here -> https://prospect.org/familycare/the-failed-economics-of-care-work/

Go here -> https://prospect.org/familycare/care-workers-organizing-for-dignity/

"Each year, millions of older workers leave the labor force and retire prematurely, often because of health shocks. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn have made the challenges for older workers even greater (Bui, Button, and Picciotti 2020). In this brief, we explore how providing
workplace accommodations can help more workers remain in the labor force. Although we focus on workers over age 55, workplace accommodations could also help many younger workers who develop a health condition that inhibits their ability to work. States with paid-leave programs are especially well-positioned to help workers stay in the labor force without changes to federal law.

We review the data on health and employment among older workers, evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to keep individuals in their jobs, the frequency that at-risk workers receive accommodations, and obstacles to providing more accommodations. We also detail the legal framework and recent developments that have opened up new opportunities for workplace accommodations. Finally, we suggest an approach to increase awareness of these opportunities to expand workplace accommodations."

Go  here -> https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/103083/policies-for-an-aging-labor-force.pdf

"For the first time in nearly 50 years, older workers face higher unemployment than their midcareer counterparts, according to a study released Tuesday by the New School University in New York City.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on employment for people of all ages. But researchers found that during its course, workers 55 and older lost jobs sooner, were rehired slower, and continue to face higher job losses than their counterparts ages 35 to 54.

It is the first time since 1973 that such a severe unemployment gap has persisted for six months or longer.

AARP said the study bolstered concerns about the economic impact of the virus on older workers. When people over 50 lose their jobs, it typically takes them twice as long to find work as it does for younger workers, the organization representing the interests of older Americans estimates."

Go here -> https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-careers-unemployment-b6a21b4c5b9db93c19bc5ff1336d01be

"The cost of isolating frail elders in nursing homes — many of which have been on a literal lockdown for months — is taking an even steeper toll than aging advocates feared. A new survey of 365 nursing home residents in 36 states, conducted in July and August, by the nonprofit Altarum Institute shows that pandemic restrictions have affected nearly every part of their lives, especially their mental health.

Altarum executives said this is the first known poll of its kind to directly ask nursing home residents about their personal experiences during COVID-19. The survey was distributed nationally as an online, public link. Altarum reached out to nursing home residents through their friends, colleagues, aging associations, ombudsmen, and long term care associations.

What they learned from those who responded was that their ability to freely move around, have outside visitors, or socialize with other residents has significantly decreased since March — significantly impacting their psychological well-being.

Many of the open-ended comments are heartbreaking."

Go here -> https://www.nextavenue.org/the-huge-emotional-toll-covid-19-is-taking-on-nursing-home-residents/

"More than 84,000 residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19, representing 40 percent of all coronavirus fatalities in the U.S., according to Kaiser Family Foundation's most recent analysis released on Oct. 8. Yet federal policymakers have been slow to respond to this crisis, and no state has done a good enough job to stem the loss of life. AARP has called for the enactment of a five-point plan to protect nursing home and long-term care facility residents — and save lives — at the federal and state levels:"

Go here -> https://www.aarp.org/ppi/issues/caregiving/info-2020/nursing-home-covid-dashboard.html

"Older racial and ethnic minority residents in nursing homes and assisted living communities in the United States and their caregivers have been hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new research by the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The findings, based on newly mandated weekly data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of more than 15,500 nursing homes, came from two studies published Monday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The research discovered a disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities in nursing homes across every state."

Go here -> https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/21/health/minority-covid-nursing-home-deaths-trnd/index.html

"Amid pandemic, U.S. has seen 300,000 ‘excess deaths,’ with highest rates among people of color," by Andrew Joseph, STAT, October 20, 2020
"When there’s a public health crisis or disaster like the coronavirus pandemic, experts know that the official death tally is going to be an undercount to some extent. Some people who die might never have been tested for the disease, for example, and if people die at home without receiving medical care, they might not make it into the confirmed data. To address that, researchers often look to what are called excess deaths — the number of deaths overall during a particular period of time compared to how many people die during the stretch in a normal year.

Deaths among white people in 2020 were just 11.9% higher than average years, a much lower increase than deaths among Latinx people (53.6% higher than average), Asian people (36.6% higher), Black people (32.9% higher), and American Indians and Alaska Natives (28.9% higher).

People 45 to 64 had 14.4% more deaths, while those 65 to 74 had 24.1% more deaths. Deaths among people 75 to 84 were 21.5% higher and 14.7% higher for people 85 and above. Deaths this year for people under 25, however, were 2% below average."

Go here -> https://www.statnews.com/2020/10/20/cdc-data-excess-deaths-covid-19/

"The unemployment rate is very high and millions report that their households did not get enough to eat or are not caught up on rent payments. We are able to track the extent of this hardship thanks to nearly real-time data from several sources on the unfolding economic crisis.

The impacts of the pandemic and the economic fallout have been widespread, but are particularly prevalent among Black, Latino,[1] Indigenous, and immigrant households. These disproportionate impacts reflect harsh, longstanding inequities — often stemming from structural racism — in education, employment, housing, and health care that the current crisis is exacerbating.

The data below, which we will update periodically, drive home the need for substantial, continued relief measures. The extent and severity of continued hardships like hunger, eviction, and homelessness will depend on whether such relief is robust and reaches those in need, as well as the trajectory of the pandemic and the pace of economic recovery. The implications for children, in particular, are significant: households with children face especially high hardship rates, which research has shown can have serious effects on children’s long-term health and financial security."

Go here-> https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-recessions-effects-on-food-housing-and

"COVID-19’s Impact on Older Workers: Employment, Income, and Medicare Spending," Gretchen Jacobson, Judith Feder, and David C. Radley, The Commonwealth Fund, October 6, 2020
"Issue: Although the disproportionate health impact of COVID-19 on older people is well known, its impact on their financial well-being has received little attention.
Goal: Assess older U.S. adults’ pandemic-related loss of employment, income, and employer-sponsored health coverage and gauge the potential effect of these losses on federal spending for Medicare.
Methods: Analysis of data from the American Community Survey (2012–2018) pertaining to characteristics of older workers, as well as data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on unemployment by age and types of jobs."

Go here-> https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/oct/covid-19-impact-older-workers-employment-income-medicare
 

"If you want to stay healthy and mobile well into old age, start walking today—even if you’ve already edged into “old age.”

That’s the conclusion of a report from the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) trial. The trial included more than 1,600 men and women between the ages of 70 and 89. None exercised regularly, and all were relatively frail. Half were randomly assigned to an exercise program that included daily walking plus strength and balance exercises. The other half took part in education workshops on healthy aging that included some gentle stretching routines."

Go here -> https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/walking-exercise-helps-seniors-stay-mobile-independent-201405287173

"At the time of writing, the COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading globally. It is projected that measures to contain the spread of the virus will need to stay in place for some time, especially for older adults. In the wake of the pandemic, it is likely that the proportion of the older adult population inactive and at risk from disease and disorders related to inactivity will have increased. This will have lasting ramifications for population health and related services. In the short, medium, and long-term, decisions about the care and support provided for older adults both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic will require careful consideration."

Go here -> https://eurapa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s11556-020-00249-3

"Foxconn Technology Group hired hundreds of people to sit around and do nothing because the company has never actually had a concrete plan for what it is doing in Wisconsin, according to a new investigation from The Verge based on interviews with 19 current and former employees and thousands of pages of public documents.

The report, published Monday, comes a week after state officials told the company it will not get any of its potential incentive of $3 billion in state tax credits for its project in Mount Pleasant until it signs a new subsidy contract, and two days after President Donald Trump held a rally in Janesville in which he spoke about the floundering development he helped bring to Wisconsin for the first time in about two years."

Go here -> https://upnorthnewswi.com/2020/10/20/foxconn-hired-hundreds-of-people-to-sit-around-and-do-nothing-report-says/

And here -> https://www.theverge.com/21507966/foxconn-empty-factories-wisconsin-jobs-loophole-trump

"Wisconsin’s tax code is a major driver of economic inequality, and contributes to the increasing concentration of income and wealth in a few hands — hands that are most likely to be white, due to a long history of racial discrimination. Our slanted tax system isn’t the only reason for Wisconsin’s enormous racial disparities, but it contributes by saddling residents of color with an unfair economic burden that makes it harder for them to succeed financially. Generations of racial discrimination have made it more difficult for people of color to build wealth, and as a result, tax breaks for income generated by wealth disproportionately benefit White residents over Black, Latinx, and Native American residents.

Wisconsin’s tax system provides a significant advantage to wealthy taxpayers over everyone else. The richest residents of Wisconsin pay the smallest share of their income in taxes of any income group, leaving Wisconsin residents with low and moderate incomes to make up the difference. Taxpayers in the top 1% pay just 7.7% of their income in state and local income taxes, compared to 10.1% paid by taxpayers in the bottom 20%."

Go here -> http://www.wisconsinbudgetproject.org/wisconsins-tax-code-includes-loopholes-that-let-the-wealthy-dodge-taxes-as-trump-did-at-the-federal-level

"Vehicles lined both sides of a street just outside of Eau Claire City Hall and filled a nearby parking lot Tuesday morning, a sign that early in-person voting will be a popular way to cast ballots in Wisconsin for the Nov. 3 presidential election.

The drive-up early voting site opened at 7 a.m., and already vehicles snaked along nearby streets as motorists waited to vote. Some motorists were waved into a parking lot and presented with ballots, which were then collected from them after they voted.

More than 200 people had voted by 9:30 a.m., Eau Claire City Clerk Carrie Riepl said. By 4 p.m. that figure rose to 1,283. Election workers, donning bright yellow vests, shuttled from vehicle to vehicle, bringing and collecting ballots amid a snowfall. 

“It’s been like this all morning,” Riepl said shortly after 11 a.m. as she surveyed long lines of traffic and a jam-packed parking lot. “It’s been busy non-stop.”

Go here -> https://upnorthnewswi.com/2020/10/20/wisconsinites-are-getting-to-the-polls-early-in-a-big-way/

"Wisconsin on Wednesday reported a record 48 deaths from the coronavirus and admitted its first patient at a field hospital as U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson falsely claimed the state had flattened its curve of COVID-19 deaths.

The Republican from Oshkosh contended the public had been tricked into "mass hysteria" a day after state Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, the chairman of the Assembly Health Committee, maintained there is nothing more the government can do to combat an illness that had killed 1,681 in Wisconsin as of Wednesday. "

Go here -> https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2020/10/21/wisconsin-coronavirus-state-reports-4-205-new-cases-48-deaths/3717200001/

"Mayor Tim Kabat was already on edge as thousands of students returned to La Crosse, Wis., to resume classes this fall at the city’s three colleges. When he saw young people packing downtown bars and restaurants in September, crowded closely and often unmasked, the longtime mayor’s worry turned to dread.

Now, more than a month later, La Crosse has endured a devastating spike in coronavirus cases — a wildfire of infection that first appeared predominantly in the student-age population, spread throughout the community, and ultimately ravaged elderly residents who had previously managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic."

Go here -> https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/10/21/la-crosse-wisconsin-covid-outbreak-nursing-home-deaths/