Quick Summary
- °”TV Health experts say a party this year could be deadly for those you hold most dear
- Still, older people in particular may crave the contact, so think about connecting by phone or computer â or maybe even a letter or card
- If youâre going to have a gathering anyway, our experts have tips on how to stay safer
Slimmed down or canceled celebrations this holiday season may be particularly hard on older people, but the alternative could be worse. A family gathering could risk their lives, two °”TV Health experts said on °”TV LIVE, Nov. 19.
âIt may seem dramatic for us to sit here and say the greatest gift you can give is life and not kill your family member or loved one, but that is the reality,â said Natascha Tuznik, assistant clinical professor of infectious diseases. âPeople are saying, âIâm tired and I want to get together,â but that is a risk you have to consider.â
COVID-19 is raging across California and the United States, with infection rates exploding to record levels â right as the holidays are coming and people want to gather with friends and families. But a holiday party or meal could be deadly for the people you care about, especially if they are older, Tuznik said.
âThe risks are substantial right now. Weâre seeing the highest case rates since the pandemic started,â she said. âI understand COVID fatigue. I have it, too. Being asked to batten down the hatches for a few more months is hard. But the best way to celebrate your family is to stay apart.â
Tuznik and Terri Harvath, director of the Family Caregiving Institute at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, urged people to see this as a one-time sacrifice.
âThis may be the only holiday season in our lives that weâre asked to practice all these precautions,â Harvath said. âDonât see this as a forever change to our traditions that so many of us love and look forward to. Instead, think about how we can modify those traditions, maybe in a virtual way.â
Keep connected to older adults
Changing the celebrations, but keeping some version of them, may be most important to older adults, especially those who are more isolated. It can be just as important to the family members who care for them.
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âItâs really important to be reaching out to these older adults and their caregivers,â Harvath said. âThe social isolation COVID-19 has caused is a serious problem and something we need to pay attention to. We know that social isolation is related to both physical and mental health problems.â
For people who care for an older family member in their home, COVID-19 restrictions have often meant lost resources from community organizations and lost help from other family or friends.
âUnfortunately, older adults and their caregivers have borne a disproportionate burden of COVID-19,â Harvath said. âThey have higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Theyâve also not been first in line for getting resources.â
She suggested doing whatever we can to keep a social connection to older family members and their caregivers through phone calls, virtual gatherings, packages and even going old school. âSend cards and letters,â Harvath said. âRemember, your older family members have done that their whole lives.â
Assessing the risk of a gathering
Both Harvath and Tuznik start with this advice for any gathering with people outside your household: Donât. But with older adults, the decision gets complicated.
On one hand, there may be only a few more opportunities to gather for them. On the other, they are most vulnerable to any exposure to COVID-19, which is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. population.
âYou do have to weigh all the risks very carefully,â Harvath said. âAfter every holiday, weâve seen spikes in transmission, and all of those were during months when we could gather outdoors. The increased risk of being indoors (where there is much less airflow and itâs much harder to physically distance) is enormous.â
To help decide if youâll visit, the Gerontological Society of America has a that asks questions ranging from how rare is this opportunity to what is most important to you in making this decision.
How to stay safer if you do gather
âPeople are calling it Zoomgiving,â Tuznik said. âSome people are even making a place setting for their computer. If you want to be totally safe, virtual is the way.â
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just that also warn about Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings.
MORE âUC DAVIS LIVEâ
- °”TV LIVE is presented every other Thursday. On the next program, Dec. 3, °”TV experts will discuss COVID-19 âlong-haulers.â
âIf you have to do it, there are at least some things you can do to stay safer,â Tuznik said. âAnd make sure everybody is on board and everybody follows through. Thatâs really hard to do. Will there be zero risk? No. You will still all be at risk even if you follow everything to a T.â
Her suggestions include:
- Keep the gathering small. Maybe six people, maximum.
- Keep it outside, weather permitting.
- If you are inside, open doors and windows for more airflow.
- Bring your own food, utensils and even salad dressing. âAs far as we know, there is no transmission related to food,â Tuznik said. âThe issue is congregating around the food.â
- Work to keep a physical distance â and remember when people drink, they forget or lose inhibitions.
- Wear face coverings whether youâre indoors or outside, when youâre not eating or drinking. âMake sure theyâre not loose and hanging,â she said.
âRemember, no hugs, no kisses, just wave at everyone,â Tuznik said. âIf thereâs an uncle or aunt who says, âIâm not going to wear a mask and Iâm not going to go along,â then donât have them at your house. Theyâll mess it up for everyone else.â
Tuznik said that even if everyone at the gathering has tested negative for COVID-19, it is still no guarantee that youâre risk free because tests are a snapshot of someoneâs infectiousness at the moment.
âThe only way to be certain would be for everyone to quarantine for 14 days,â she said.
âRemember, no hugs, no kisses, just wave at everyone. âIf thereâs an uncle or aunt who says, âIâm not going to wear a mask and Iâm not going to go along,â then donât have them at your house. Theyâll mess it up for everyone else.â â Natascha Tuznik
Harvath said she is feeling what many others feel: She misses her family. But she wonât see them this Thanksgiving.
âMy mom is staying home. My daughter is not going to come. Iâm not accepting any invitations,â she said. âThe biggest gift we can give to family or friends is the reduction of exposure to something that can make them very sick or kill them.â
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Rick Kushman, rjkushman@ucdavis.edu