Vitality Spring 2020 - COVID-19 Special Supplement

USC LEONARD DAVIS SCHOOL OF GERONTOLOGY

VOL. 11-A Special Supplement

How the USC Leonard Davis School community is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SPRING 2020

Fight On!

DEAN’S MESSAGE Dear Leonard Davis School Community,

“This pivotal time reinforces what led us all to gerontology in the first place: a belief that we all can, and should, work together to improve how we live and age today and for generations to come.”

PEOPLE MATTER Heroic efforts to cure and care for people, to put lives before livelihoods, affirm that protecting everyone, no matter their age, is the most valuable investment of all. Our mission to promote healthy aging for diverse individuals, communities and societies has never seemed so vital.

The global spread of this virus reminds us that we are all connected and responsible for one another. From nation to nation and neighbor to neighbor, we must prioritize improving health and healthcare, searching for truth and sharing knowledge to benefit members of all generations, including the oldest and frailest among us.

SCIENCE, SERVICE, SCHOLARSHIP AND SOLUTIONS MATTER Making life better: This is the purpose that powers our actions at the USC Leonard Davis School. We advocate for age-friendly policies and services, advance discoveries in disease prevention and health promotion, and educate the next generation of gerontologists to make an impact in this essential and in-demand field.

We have grown dramatically over the last few years, increasing the size and diversity of our student body, faculty, educational offerings and scientific explorations. These new and varied degree programs and research initiatives enable us to address the needs of the COVID-19 era. Our focus on driving innovation in senior services and social networks, housing and nutrition, and the business and biology of aging also position us to take on the crucial challenges that will surely follow.

SUPPORT MATTERS We are committed to sustaining our stellar performance through continued investment in our people and infrastructure. In the short term, our world, our nation, our university and our school will encounter certain challenges — as will some of our individual students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends.

To encourage wellness during this time of social isolation, we

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Photos: Stephanie Kleinman, John Walsh. Cover photo illustration: Freepik, Caroline Cicero

I hope this message finds you safe and well. We are living through a defining moment in history. The COVID-19 pandemic is transforming almost every aspect of our world and our lives. We are surrounded by uncertainty, and yet what matters most is clearer now than ever before.

continue to offer weekly yoga classes online. University mental health services remain available as well. On our website, a new COVID-19 resource page (gero.usc. edu/covid-19) features trusted expertise from our faculty, including practical tips on how to eat well, maintain connections and protect yourself in this troubling time, and links to media stories citing their insights on health, economic, demographic and policy considerations of this pandemic.

In addition, we have an established emergency fund to assist students facing unexpected hardships. If you would like to help, please consider a contribution to assist these future scholars, scientists, administrators and health professionals whose work will ultimately help all of us. There are also four university-wide funds to aid USC students, health care workers, community members and employees who are most affected by COVID-19.

FAMILY MATTERS Our enterprise and our community remain strong thanks to every one of you. The crisis is a master class in resilience. We know that every member of our Leonard Davis and Trojan family is impacted in ways large and small and we also know that we will rebound after this unimaginable disruption to normal life. As each of you looks after yourself and your loved ones, we aim to be a source of support and solutions for you.

This pivotal time reinforces what led us all to gerontology in the first place: a belief that we all can, and should, work together to improve how we live and age today and for generations to come. We are honored to be with you on this journey and we thank you for your support and commitment to our cause. Fight On! Best wishes,

Pinchas Cohen MD, Dean USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

EDUCATION —

Gerontology students connect online Following spring break, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology students returned to class, convening online over the videoconferencing app Zoom. From large lectures to small seminars, students, now dispersed across the country, are coming together to continue learning. Some even logged on for a group yoga class.

“It is going great. Classes are still interactive, with people talking and chatting, and I’m even able to hold office hours,” said John Walsh, assistant dean of education. “We have up to 200 students Zooming in at one time, so we just figured out how to make it work. Plus, we are a program that has always used Blackboard, USC’s online learning management system, to its fullest capacity and that is paying off for us.”

Figuring out how to leverage technology for learning is an area in which the USC Leonard Davis School excels; in 1998, the pioneering institution was the first school accredited to teach a master’s program at a distance by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

Twenty-two years later, that experience was useful in moving all levels of academic programming online in order to address the need for social distancing due to the danger of COVID-19.

“The transition went as smoothly as possible because most of our instructors were very well-versed in teaching online,” said Jim Alejandre, director of distance learning at the USC Leonard Davis School.

Faculty member Caroline Cicero said her experience using Zoom for all her classes has been positive.

“I have been teaching blended and online masters classes for several years, so the addition of undergrad classes has been easy,” she said.

“Students are very comfortable using online platforms and interacting via their screens.”

Lois Albert Angelo, a freshman in human development and aging, said that despite the distance, he continues to feel connected to his courses and classmates.

“Although I’m not able to see my friends and teachers in person, being able to still communicate and share ideas with them is very rewarding in this time of social distancing,” he said.

SPRING 2020 | 3

NEWS & NOTES

STAT

—

Washington Post

Why older and chronically ill Americans are at greatest risk from coronavirus “People don’t realize how bad the health of the American population is. When we compare our health to Europeans, we have more disease, more disability.”

— Eileen Crimmins commenting on a phenomenon known as the U.S. health disadvantage in an article on coronavirus risk factors in the U.S.

KPCC-FM

INTERVIEW

“During this time, it is more important than ever that we keep in contact with each other.”

— Jennifer Ailshire in a CNN interview about checking on older relatives and neighbors.

Older workers deciding to work or stay home “There’s a lot of uncertainty and there are definitely mixed messages. How do we ensure that people that are pretty much on the margin economically are safe during this?”

— Kathleen Wilber in a radio story on how older workers must choose to either continue to work or follow public health recommendations to stay home.

Forbes

Tips on dementia caregiving in the COVID-19 outbreak “We’re told to stay home, but if you live in a place where you’re not going to be touching other people, I think we should all be going outside getting fresh air and exercising a little bit. This includes taking those with dementia outside and walking around.”

— Caroline Cicero in an article on how to care for people with dementia during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Finding purpose in the time of coronavirus “In this moment, as we face physical isolation, financial loss and threatened health, finding purpose may actually save lives.”

— Paul Irving in an essay he authored addressing the importance of purpose.

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Los Angeles Times, NBC4

Consider pulling residents from nursing homes over coronavirus, says county health director “I’d be loath to recommend anyone taking them home unless they thought the [facility] was not taking good enough care or doing enough screening,” he said. “Be sure you can shield them better than the nursing home is shielding them from the virus.”

— Edward Schneider in an article on the recommendation to pull older adults from nursing homes. He also spoke about this on KPCC. “People are placed in a nursing home because they need really intensive care. It is going to be a challenge for people at home.”

— Donna Benton was interviewed about this issue on NBC4. She added that there are extra concerns when caring for people with dementia or medical problems.

CNBC

Stop & Shop, other grocers have special shopping hours for seniors. Here’s how they work “The designated hours can reduce risk by limiting vulnerable shoppers’ exposure and allowing them to shop when stores are cleaner, but shoppers must keep a distance from one another.”

— Wen Dombrowski in a story on special hours for older adults and immunocompromised individuals at grocery stores in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo: Stephanie Kleinman. Icons: Icons8

IN THE MEDIA

The economic rationale for strong action now against COVID-19 “Using the CDC’s most dire estimate, the economic cost of lives lost if we do nothing is $8.5 trillion, or just under half of U.S. gross domestic product. This does not account for the costs of suffering for those who get sick but do not die, lost productivity due to illness or direct medical expenditures.”

— Mireille Jacobson, who coauthored commentary arguing for action to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

EXPERTISE —

Eating and shopping well while sheltering in place Dietitian Cary Kreutzer, director of the USC Master of Science in Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity program, shares advice for grocery shopping and maintaining healthy habits while isolated in a recent episode of the USC Lessons in Lifespan Health podcast (lifespanhealth.usc.edu).

“I would suggest trying to limit the number of times you’re going to a store right now. … It is probably prudent to try to get what you need once a week, or longer if you can do that,” she says. “And definitely have a shopping list. Sometimes, if it’s the store I always go to, I’ll try to write things on my list in the order of where I pretty much know they are in the store — all the dairy together, all the canned foods together, all the breads together, meats together — so that I can quickly get through that list.”

Post-COVID-19 health considerations For many Americans who have lost jobs or income, the end of social distancing measures may mean the start of another challenging chapter for which one-time cash payments of $1200 will be insufficient, says Reggie Tucker-Seeley, Edward L. Schneider Assistant Professor of Gerontology.

Tucker-Seeley has developed a model for measuring financial hardship that includes more than bank account balances. He argues that interventions to help people stay healthy must consider additional factors, like the physical and mental toll of the stress they feel and the coping behaviors they make when money is tight.

“Coping responses could be people not buying or taking less of their medications,” he says. “If families don’t have sufficient financial resources, they begin making tradeoffs; the challenge is ensuring that those are not harmful to their health.”

Strengthening immunity Professor Valter Longo, director of the USC Longevity Institute, is investigating how fasting, and diets that mimic the effects of fasting, can help immune function.

In mice, fasting and fasting mimicking diets appear to “get rid of damaged or misguided cells and replace them with younger and more effective immune cells,” he says.

The Longo laboratory is demonstrating that cycles of fasting and fasting-mimicking diets promote stem cell-dependent rejuvenation of the immune system in old mice, supporting clinical trials to determine whether they are effective in improving immune system function in the elderly without causing detrimental side effects and increasing vaccination efficacy in older adults. Post-COVID-19, upcoming trials will test the fasting-mimicking diet’s effect on flu, and potentially coronavirus, vaccination in humans, Longo says.

Virus highlights importance of advance directives The coronavirus pandemic and the threat of serious illness should encourage conversation about care preferences and end-oflife wishes, says Associate Professor Susan Enguídanos.

Advance directives are legal documents that specify care preferences and a “health care proxy” in case of a serious illness. The proxy, also known as a health care agent, is a person one designates to make decisions in case they become unable.

“Many are dying in hospitals on ventilators, making it impossible for them to engage in conversations about health care preferences and other health care decision-making” Enguídanos says. “This is one of the most important conversations you’ll ever have with your loved ones. It doesn’t have to be scary; it can be a thoughtful exchange and an ongoing conversation as health conditions change.”

SPRING 2020 | 5

VITAL SIGNS

With older adults facing the greatest health risks from COVID-19, staying home and keeping distance from others is key. However, social isolation can have detrimental effects, especially for vulnerable older people.

Research Associate Professor of Gerontology Donna Benton, director of the USC Family Caregiver Support Center, provides some tips for helping family, friends, and care recipients safely maintain connections:

“We all need to ask ourselves, ‘How am I going to find those moments of joy?’”

PLAN FOR BACKUP CARE “Family caregivers should be calling their agencies that they are working with to find out what are their backup plans should their regular care provider call in sick. [How that’s handled] is going to be a business-bybusiness call.”

USE TECH TO CHECK “If a senior living facility has to close to all visitors, one possible solution: Can we put iPads in there and do Facetime during this crisis? I think the nursing homes can be creative in that way, so family members don’t feel shut out from seeing their relative. Residents themselves may not be able to interact via the screen, but it may make someone at home feel better about their relative. It’s just to reassure them that it’s okay, like, ‘I see them, I see the room right now, I can have a way of checking in.’”

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FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES “If you have elderly or fragile parents or other family members, do not fall into catastrophizing this. Make sure that you are following the correct information from the state Department of Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control, and not just watching the news. What we can do is help our parents stay calm and reasonable. At the same time, make sure you are prepared to help them should the need arise. Can they give you the phone number for their doctor, their neighbor, their best friend?”

HOST A VIRTUAL WATCH PARTY “Call your friends and say, ‘such-and-such movie is out; let’s watch it together and be on the phone together.’ I’ve done that in the past with a friend when she’s gotten sick.

You put it on the speaker, you put it down, and you’re both watching the movie together. You don’t feel like you’re alone. This is the time to try out new systems.”

FIND MOMENTS OF JOY “We can still do things. I can stand on my porch and wave at my neighbors. We all need to ask ourselves, ‘How am I going to find those moments of joy?’”

Photos: iStock/Sladic, Stephanie Kleinman. Photo illustration: Freepik, Carly Roman

Addressing Social Isolation

SERVICE —

Gerontology students reach out to older adults Members of the USC Student Gerontology Association launched an intergenerational phone chain to keep in touch with older adults across the country. In addition, through participation in the USC chapter of the service group Glamour Gals, students are sending cards and making video calls to older adults in senior living communities.

These projects aim to combat loneliness and provide social support during this period of forced separation. But participants of all ages benefit in other ways as well, says USC Leonard Davis School PhD candidate Carly Roman. She knows this firsthand from her involvement in these groups — she helped launch the phone chain and co-founded the Glamour Gals chapter at USC — and from her dissertation research, which looks at the gains of giving back.

“It’s not just the people receiving support who benefit; researchers have shown that helping others is also important for health and well-being,” Roman says.

Seemingly small gestures, like providing advice or sharing a recipe, can be especially meaningful for older adults, explains Roman, because they provide an opportunity for them to express generativity, a feeling of contributing to the well-being of others that has been linked to decreased depression, increased psychological well-being, later onset of physical disability, and reduced mortality.

“So call up a friend or neighbor, old or young, and chat,” she says. “The natural social support that you provide each other may give you both a much-needed boost.”

Dean Emeritus Ed Schneider, professor of gerontology, medicine and biology, is an expert on nursing home best practices.

With many COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes, how do we keep loved ones safe?

Ask a staff member what specific measures are they doing to prevent the spread. All facilities should be barring visitors and new admits. Staff should be screened and have their temperatures taken before being allowed to work, and any resident who tests positive should be isolated. If a facility is doing a good job then I think it can be safe.

What are the downsides of bringing a loved one home?

I think you’d better think twice before you bring your loved one home. A nursing home has professionals on staff who can manage care around the clock and can also evaluate your loved one to see if they have a change in condition and assess whether they should go to the hospital. You can’t do that at home. Also, half of nursing home residents have dementia, and there is a real risk of them of falling, leaving the stove on and wandering off and getting lost.

If there is an evacuation of the facility and you need to bring your loved one home, what advice do you have?

Don’t try to take this on yourself. You will need to find an in-home care provider to deliver the services they need and to do it well. I would make sure to stock up on all their current medications. I recommend having at least a 30-day supply.

SPRING 2020 | 7

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With makeover events canceled due to COVID-19, student volunteers with the USC chapter of Glamour Gals send homemade cards to older adults in senior living communities; read more on page 7. Photo: Carly Roman

FOR MORE INFORMATION University of Southern California COVID-19 Resource Center coronavirus.usc.edu

USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology COVID-19 Expertise

gero.usc.edu/covid-19 USC Fall Prevention Center of Excellence Home Safety Resources

homemods.org/acl/consumerawareness

The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology continues to accept applications, and classes are ongoing. To learn more about our online master’s programs, visit gero.usc.edu/masters-programs, and read alumnus Josh Johnson’s story at bit.ly/USCGeroJosh.

USC Family Caregiver Support Center fcsc.usc.edu

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