The New York Times
Elderly people looking for vaccines have a problem: they can not use the Internet
Annette Carlin feels trapped. Before the pandemic, Carlin, 84, enjoyed walking with her grandchildren in Novato, California, and dancing in the senior center. Since March, however, she has been sitting indoors. She is eager to sign up for a vaccine and start living normal life again. But booking an appointment was a technological nightmare. Carlin could not afford to buy a computer and would not know how to surf the internet looking for a shot, even if she did. Although members of her family may be able to help her there, she avoids it as a safety precaution. Sign up for The Morning Newsletter of the New York Times “It’s very frustrating,” Carlin said on her page. “I feel like everyone gets the vaccine, and I have not.” The deployment of chaotic vaccines has to do with confusing registration pages and awkward healthcare websites. And the technological skills needed to navigate the text alerts, notifications and email reminders that are the second generation of the digital generation have hampered older adults like Carlin, who needs the vaccine the most. As a result, seniors who do not have technical skills miss potentially life-saving shots. The digital divide between generations has always been sharp, but the sudden curtailment of the pandemic interaction has made the division even clearer. Advocates for older Americans, 22 million of whom do not have wireless broadband access at home, say it is ridiculous that a program mostly aimed at vaccinating vulnerable seniors is so dependent on Internet knowledge, Twitter announcements and online event pages. “We are in a crisis where connectivity is a life-or-death alternative for people,” said Tom Kamber, executive director of Older Adults Technology Services, a non-profit organization that trains the elderly to use technology. “It can not get sharper than people say, ‘If you go outside, you’re probably dead.’ ‘People in nursing homes, among the first to get vaccines, had staff to assist them. . But when vaccines became available to a larger group of older adults in late December and early January, many who lived alone had to navigate the implementation themselves. Federal agencies such as the Administration for Community Living, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as non-profit organizations, say they do what they can to guide older adults, but they are thin. (Elderly people can call the Administration for Community Living Eldercare Locator number for assistance at 1-800-677-1116.) “I do not know where,” said Cheyrl Lathrop, a 74-year-old Richmond resident. , Virginia, said. , who watched younger, more technological people in the area find ways to be vaccinated. “I get frustrated with the computer, and then I just give up.” Some seniors rely on younger family members to browse websites and stay awake at all times in the hope of booking a lock. Lathrop’s daughter, Sheri Blume, got her mother an appointment after weeks of investigation. Terez Mays-Jones of Alpharetta, Georgia, has had a similar shooting experience in Cincinnati, where her 73-year-old mother, Jacqueline Sims, lives. “It became a secondary post,” Mays-Jones, 53, said. “I did all these searches throughout the day and into the evening.” Sims knows what Facebook and Instagram are, but sometimes relies on her daughter to help online, saying older adults often feel “intimidated” by technology. “At our age, we are not used to making so many mistakes, or we do not want to admit that we have mistakes,” said Sims, who finally got a shot thanks to a tip from a cousin. Many seniors feel comfortable texting, tweeting and surfing the internet. But those who do not find the time to learn a new skill often daunting, Kamber said. Older Adults Technology Services has taught 48,000 people how to get started online since the pandemic began, and it has a technical support hotline. When vaccination registrations began, staff on the phones asked thousands of questions about how to book appointments. Area Aging Agencies, part of a national government-funded national aging network and overseen by the Community Life Administration, are also helping. Local chapters have called seniors and are helping them appoint telephonically or in person for vaccinations, said Sandy Markwood, chief executive of the Area Agencies, which includes more than 600 non-profit regional centers run by state governments. In Akron, Ohio, 78-year-old Lee Freund said every hospital, pharmacy and grocery store she called looking for a vaccine led her to a series of confusing web pages. Freund managed to accidentally report for delivery of groceries, but had no chance to fight a shot. She ended up in tears. “When you’m alone, it’s frustrating, it’s overwhelming, and it’s very emotional,” said Freund, whose husband passed away last year. She said she did not call her children for help because she did not want to be a burden. “It almost made me think, ‘I do not think it’s worth it. ” Freund eventually found help with the nearby Area Agency on Aging, where a woman assured her of an appointment. As of Thursday, about 24 million Americans 65 years and older, or about 41%, had received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, according to the population and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data set up by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., Who reintroduced a bill last year that would allocate money to get older Americans online, said the government could not get out of a preventable crisis by not funding senior agencies sooner. . Aging network organizations “are overwhelmed by the needs and demands they have and are struggling to work through the pandemic themselves,” Smith said in an interview. “We have overcome it and see the consequences.” The Coronavirus Bill passed by the House includes $ 470 million for support services for older Americans, including the issuance of vaccines. The Administration for Community Living is working with the CDC on a public awareness campaign for the elderly, said Edwin Walker, the deputy assistant secretary of the group for aging. But the initiative is still in the planning phase. Meanwhile, volunteer groups showed up to help. In Miami, Katherine Quirk and her fiancé, Russ Schwartz, started a Facebook group in January to spread information about the availability of vaccines in their area. The group has drawn in 27,000 members seeking help and offering tips, and the effort has helped thousands to be vaccinated. “It’s incredible, overwhelming,” said Quirk, 44, a nurse. “We were called a vaccine for angels.” For those still waiting for their lap, however, the hope seems far away. In Novato, Carlin spends her time watching the news on television, when it comes to where to shoot. A granddaughter tried to find one for her, but without success. “I’m used to going out and going and doing everything,” she said. If she were vaccinated, “I could go on with life, but now I feel like I’m on guard.” This article originally appeared in The New York Times. © 2021 The New York Times Company