With much of the United States population under “stay at home” and “shelter-in-place” orders, one demographic suffering more than most from these measures is the elderly. As we age, our immune systems age with us, making us more susceptible to infection. In addition, the elderly—especially those requiring institutional care—are much more likely to have underlying medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to respiratory illness from the COVID-19 virus. In addition, many other older adults live alone, have limited access to, or knowledge of technology, and routine activities such as going to the grocery store pose a health risk. While overall mortality rates from COVID-19 hovers around 2 to 3 percent for the general population, mortality rates for those over 70 are closer to 8 percent, and for those over 80, a shockingly-high 15 percent.

In response to this risk, many nursing and assisted-living facilities have instituted radical social distancing measures—strictly limiting or banning family visits, eliminating revered group activities such as bingo, art classes, and collective puzzle solving, and serving meals to patients in their rooms instead of the dining room. Seniors who live alone are relying on others to bring them food and other essential items. All of these measures have combined to make seniors feel dramatically more isolated and disconnected from society, their loved ones, and their daily routines.

The stories in this collection (see below) highlight ways that people are working to ensure that seniors stay connected to family, friends, and their communities, how stores are acting to facilitate seniors’ safe shopping, and how America’s youth are stepping forward to assist the elderly not only in utilizing technology, but also meeting their physical needs by running errands, picking up groceries, and delivering needed supplies.

In a CBS news report, learn how grocery stores across the country—including Safeway, Albertson’s, Whole Foods, Target, and Trader Joe’s—are amending their hours to reserve specific early-morning times for those over 60 to shop without crowds. The Bristal, a group of 15 assisted-living facilities on Long Island with more than 2,000 residents, has converted most of its regular activities to an online format; “We’re honestly trying to keep their day-to-day routines as normal as possible,” says Allison Miller, the executive director of Amber Court, which houses 275 residents. The Bristal even hosted a socially-distanced St. Patrick’s day celebration, complete with green face masks for the staff. Allied Services, which has facilities throughout Pennsylvania, has distributed iPads to residents so they can communicate with family and friends. At the Cedar Hills facility in Vermont, reusable bingo cards have been replaced by disposable ones, bingo chips are sterilized between each round, and staff even constructed individualized “puzzle desks” from cardboard, pool noodles and duct tape so residents can work on puzzles on their laps while maintaining social distance. Finally, learn how young people are teaching seniors how to use video-conferencing technologies such as Zoom and Skype so they can remotely connect with family and friends, order groceries, and take online courses to occupy their time while confined to their homes. Some of these volunteer mutual aid societies, like Invisible Hands and Guys Helping, even run errands, deliver groceries and hardware, and spend time using an old technology—the telephone conversation—to keep seniors feeling active and connected.