On Aging

Homebound senior Louise Delija, 93, receives a meal delivery in Brooklyn, New York. Since the pandemic began, demand for help from seniors has ballooned.

Amid Isolation And Loneliness, Elderly Face Crumbling Safety Net

3:15pm January 03, 2021

by Sally Herships

New York has more people over the age of 65 than the total population of many states. And despite federal aid, the state's system meant to help protect seniors is short tens of millions of dollars.

Queue Listen Now

In late 2019, the patient's choice to move to an assisted living facility seemed like a good idea — a chance for more social interaction and help with meals and medical care.

Health & Safety

Choices, Chance And Living While You Can: Bookends To The Year Of COVID-19

7:58pm December 31, 2020

by John Henning Schumann

One of my patients in this devastating year stands out — a veteran who'd survived PTSD, cancer and family estrangement. Assisted living raised his COVID-19 risk, but also brought him community.

do's and don'ts of caring for older people in the pandemic

11 Original NPR Comics That Brought Joy, Hope And Help During The Pandemic

3:16pm December 23, 2020

by Malaka Gharib

In 2020, NPR created and published more than a dozen comics for the pandemic — everything from how to explain it to kids to how to help the older people in your life.

Science writer Robin Marantz Henig has written about dangerous emerging pathogens for 30 years. But none of what she learned could shed light on her own confusing encounter with the coronavirus.

I Felt Fine, But Tested Positive For The Coronavirus. What's That Really Mean?

12:24pm December 18, 2020

by Robin Marantz Henig

Science writer Robin Marantz Henig has written about dangerous emerging pathogens for 30 years. But none of what she learned could shed light on her own confusing encounter with this virus.

White flags planted by volunteers visualize lives lost in the U.S. to COVID-19 as part of an installation by artist Suzanne Firstenberg in Washington, D.C. The death toll has now reached 300,000.

How Do We Grieve 300,000 Lives Lost?

5:52pm December 14, 2020

by Will Stone

Eleven months into the COVID-19 crisis, an unimaginable death toll has been reached. NPR spoke to doctors, nurses and the bereaved about how they face loss every day.

Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine has been tested for safety and efficacy in more than 44,000 people. Still, stopping viral spread will take more than immunizations, says the CDC. The agency is calling for those who are vaccinated to continue wearing mas

What You Need To Know As The First COVID-19 Vaccine Heads Your Way

5:29pm December 12, 2020

by Joanne Silberner

Within hours, U.S. states are expected have in hand their first shipments of Pfizer's newly FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine. It marks a new phase in the pandemic, but what's that mean for you?

Lisa Taylor got a COVID-19 vaccination in August as part of a vaccine study at Research Centers of America in Hollywood, Fla.

Health & Safety

When Might You Expect Your 1st COVID-19 Shot?

6:54pm December 10, 2020

by Pien Huang

In the U.S., front-line health care workers are likely first in line to get immunized with a COVID-19 vaccine, once the FDA says yes. But what about the rest of us? Here's what we know so far.

A proposed rule could cause headaches and extra work for the successor of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, seen with President Trump in November.

Trump HHS Proposal Criticized As Burden For Biden Administration

11:28am December 09, 2020

by Phil Galewitz

The rule would require health officials to review about 2,400 regulations on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drugs approvals. Those not analyzed within two years would become void.

Headaches, lung issues and ongoing, debilitating fatigue are just a few of the symptoms plaguing some "long hauler" COVID-19 patients for months or more after the initial fever and acute symptoms recede.

Hey, COVID-19 Long-Haulers: Take Care In Shopping For Health Insurance

3:48pm December 02, 2020

by Julie Appleby

Anyone with lingering effects of COVID-19 should be extra careful in picking a 2021 health plan, specialists say. You now have a "pre-existing condition" that could increase medical expenses in 2021.

"You do what you have to do to survive," says Diane Evans, who is fighting pandemic loneliness with technology. Evans lives in San Francisco and has Zoom calls regularly with her daughter in Chicago.

There's No Stopping These Seniors; Even A Pandemic Can't Bring Them Down

7:00am November 26, 2020

by Lesley McClurg

Older people are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19. But recent research reveals older populations are less consumed by pandemic depression than those that are younger.