The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many weak points in care systems throughout the world. The pandemic threat is particularly high in the case of elderly and persons with disabilities, and responses have shown disproportionately lesser impact, resulting in dramatic consequences in loss of lives, opportunities, and inclusion.
Countries can learn lessons from this crisis on how to build and improve the social and elderly care systems, according to a blog post by Michal Rutkowski, Global Director for Social Protection and Jobs, World Bank.
Here are some lessons – both for the immediate response to protect those most vulnerable, as well as for the medium-term response to strengthen the health and safety of the frail elderly and PwDs and for the long-term reforms that aim to build efficient, equitable, and resilient care systems.
First, strengthen the health and safety of the social and aged care systems for the frail elderly and persons with disabilities. In the immediate term, measures are needed to manage possible further outbreaks and provide for the care needs of dependent persons.
Second, improve government stewardship of the care market. Countries with pre-existing publicly supported systems for the dependent elderly, persons with disabilities, and other groups in need of care could mount a more effective response by building on these delivery systems.
Third, use technological solutions to ensure continuity of care and battle isolation. Telemedicine systems reduce possibilities of pathogen transmission while ensuring that ongoing and urgent medical needs of vulnerable persons can be met.
Building resilient and accessible systems that prioritize both residential and home-based care, enhanced government oversight, and the smart incorporation of IT solutions and social protection systems can prepare societies to safeguard their dependent populations of frail elderly, persons with disabilities, and others from this crisis and others in the future.
