COVID-19 has impacted our global society’s physical, psychological, economic, and social health. In particular, older adults are the most vulnerable. Many of the factors that threaten the well-being of older adults are heightened due to the pandemic. Consequently, many of the topics relevant to older women featured in this journal take on new meaning when viewed through the lens of COVID-19 impact—utilization of health prevention services, fragility, longevity, and meaningful relationships. While this edition of the journal focuses on many of these issues, we intend to curate a special issue of the journal that focuses more explicitly on the impact of COVID-19 in older women. In solidarity with the United Nations, I call your attention to the policy brief on the effects of COVID-19 on women (https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2020/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women-en.pdf?la=en&vs=1406).
In the meantime, in this issue, I wish to highlight some of the articles that may be particularly relevant to some broader issues older women face. Our authors address concerns facing older women that include gender differences in frailty syndrome and its impact on longevity (Tomasz Trzmiel, Ewa Zasadzka, Magdalena Roszak, and Mariola Pawlaczyk’s “Is the outcome of frailty syndrome gender-dependent?”). Health outcomes of older adults are also dependent on preventative care. For some ethnic groups, such as African American older women, their poor health outcomes may be due to differences in the utilization of preventative care services. In “A Mixed Methods Study: Midlife African-American Women’s Knowledge, Beliefs, and Barriers to Well-Woman Visit, Flu Vaccine, and Mammogram Use.” Vida Henderson, Jessica Madrigal, and Arden Handler offer a public health examination of underutilization of preventative health measures in African American women in their sample and suggest strategies to increase the use of health prevention services. Finally, several articles in this issue speak to the importance of women’s sexuality, body image, and close interpersonal relationships. In the article, “Adjusting to Sex and Intimacy: Gynecological Cancer Survivors share about their Partner Relationships,” Kristen Abbott-Anderson, Patricia Young, and Sandra Eggenberger present candid and compelling account participants shared about their sexual intimacy after surviving gynecological cancer. Close relationships are also crucial for the psychological well-being of older women. While few studies focus on intimate relationships of older lesbians, the contributions of Paige Averett, Jordan Pylant, Katelyn Craft, and Imani Ricks in “I Would Do It Again”: Past and Present Experiences of Older Lesbians,” offer useful insight into how the women’s movement and the coming out experience have shaped their sexual identity.
Older adults, especially older women, play such an essential role in our communities, and their vulnerability to COVID-19 has resulted in many losses of our valued elders. My condolences to all who have experienced a loss during these challenging times.