Dear Readers,
I am very excited to introduce the first special issue of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work focused on COVID-19 and older adults; a second special issue featuring articles addressing this topic will follow later this year. There is so much work being done worldwide to examine the impact of the pandemic on the older population and how gerontological social workers can effectively intervene that it requires two issues to disseminate the research and conceptual frameworks!
This first special issue begins by calling attention to the intersection of ageism and COVID-19. Maxfield and colleagues discuss older adults’ fears of receiving stigmatized and biased care due to health provider stereotypes that view them as frail and vulnerable. Chigangaidze and Chinyenze present immunosenescence as a primary risk factor for COVID-19 rather than the aging process itself and encourage a preventative focus that bolsters immune system health among this population as a more equitable approach to service delivery.
This special issue also draws attention to COVID-19-related issues for older adults internationally, with an article examining perception of infection risk in Italy (Guastafierro and colleagues), another investigating associations among post-pandemic volunteering and mental health in China (Chan et al.), and two articles from Nigeria, one assessing the impact of the pandemic on seniors’ economic activities and well-being (Agbawodileizu and colleagues), and the other assessing digital exclusion and social isolation (Ekoh et al.).
Using a U.S. sample, Weil et al. also focus on digital exclusion of older people and help reframe the relationship of older adults to technology such that it can be viewed in a positive light for greater digital inclusion. Employing a similar positive focus, Lightfoot et al. present interview findings from older adult caregivers, which reveal both the special joys and the challenges of caregiving during the pandemic.
This special issue ends with a book review of Doka and Tucci’s Living with Grief since COVID-19 by Anderson, which highlights the personal narratives of the grief from diverse individuals impacted by the virus.
As always, I hope you enjoy reading the informative articles in this issue.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).