Be sure to discuss information gathered from these resources with your health care providers to see if it is relevant to your individual situation. Health and medical information accessed through these websites is not intended to substitute for or to replace the advice or instruction of a health care professional.
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Note: visit the information and links on our collections on Coronavirus and COVID-19 Information: Santa Clara County and California for up to date information on current requirements and for more links to resources for medical assistance, economic support, and coping with this pandemic.
Emergency hotlines and "warm lines" for information, referrals and support during the pandemic:
Pandemic stress and isolation has been, still is, and may continue to be really hard on older adults. Please take a look at the collection of resources on our webpage Coping With the Pandemic for support in these tough times.
As we learn more about coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it appears that people of all ages can transmit the virus, but disease symptoms tend to be more severe in older people. Fatalities from COVID-19 are much higher in people over 70 than in those under 60.
Based on what we know now, The Centers for Disease Control warns that those at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are:
The Centers for Disease Control warns to get medical treatment immediately if these symptoms appear:
Local Resources for At-Risk Older Adults
Many programs for seniors and other at-risk people are described on our resource guide for COVID-19 and Coronavirus Information: California and Santa Clara County.
One of the most heart-breaking aspects of COVID-19 is that people who are seriously ill are separated from their family and friends. If they're on a ventilator they may not be able to tell the healthcare team how they wish to be treated.
During this pandemic, it is a very good idea for us all to think about our preferences, and to document those in an Advance Care Directive.
The information in these webpages is all relevant during the pandemic. To help people think about their wishes if they get seriously ill with COVID-19, the Conversation Project has these quick information documents:
The text on this page is copyright Lise M. Dyckman and PlaneTree Health Library, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Linked contents are the responsibility of their creators or copyright holders.