L’impatto della crisi pandemica da Covid-19 sulla popolazione geriatrica/L'impact de la crise pandémique du Covid-19 sur la population gériatrique/The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis on the geriatric population

Elderly people represented the population most affected by the Covid-19 epidemic due to the greater vulnerability related to age, frailty conditions, comorbidities and the presence of problems such as cognitive disorders and changes in mental state. The clinical vulnerability of the older people is exacerbated by ageism according to consideration that people of advanced age cannot benefit from intensive care treatment. The possibility of using the tools of multidimensional geriatric assessment, which also includes the involvement of the caregiver, now makes it possible to identify the most appropriate treatment for older people in some care contexts including palliative care. For these reasons, we reflect on the need to implement a decision-making process for access to care. We discuss also about care in nursing home during the Covid-19 pandemic with some considerations on the risks of ageism and abuse to which elderly people is easily exposed.