"Collateral damage" in the tracks of covid-19

Covid-19 is not only a threat to frail elderly people by becoming more and more seriously ill from the virus itself. The restrictions involve isolation and loneliness which can not only cause mental illness but also physical illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

"Body and soul are connected," says Laura Fratiglioni, professor of medical epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute. Those who are mentally ill run the risk of developing physical illness in the long term. This is what I call collateral damage, a term that in war stands for innocents who are affected. Here it is about what causes the virus that is not directly related to the corona disease itself.

When the elderly now lose the opportunity to meet relatives, they do not just lose their company. They also lose the care and help that family members often contribute. This may mean that elderly people who are fragile but still live at home forget to take their medication, that they do not touch as much and do not eat and drink enough.

- That's why the old people are twice as affected by the corona epidemic, says Laura Fratiglioni. The virus itself strikes hardest against them and in addition, the isolation they may be forced to cause mental ill health such as dementia and even physical illnesses.

Laura Fratiglioni believes society has forgotten about the group of elderly people who still live at home. They may receive help through home care, but relatives often account for an even greater share of care and care than public care does.

- Now many elderly homes arrange opportunities for relatives to meet their old people with the help of plexiglass screens and other things. The accommodation also has staff and some activities, but the elderly who stay at home receive none of this. They are forgotten and therefore hit even harder by the restrictions, says Laura Fratiglioni.