Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The elderly who have recovered from infection with “Covid-19”, are considered the most vulnerable group to developing persistent symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle pain, heart palpitations, headache, joint pain, and difficulty remembering and concentration, which are problems related to the symptoms of “long-term Covid”.
But it can be difficult to distinguish the after-effects of the emerging coronavirus from conditions common in older adults such as lung disease, heart disease, and mild cognitive impairment.
There are no diagnostic tests or recommended treatments for long-term COVID-19, and the biological mechanisms that detect its effects remain weak.
For his part, Dr. Nathan Erdman, assistant professor of infectious diseases at the Hersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, explained that “recognizing long-term Covid disease in older adults with other medical conditions is difficult.”
Failure to do so means that older people recovering from COVID-19 will likely not receive proper care.
So what should the elderly do if they do not feel well after weeks of contracting the virus? Here’s what the experts suggest.
Seek medical attention
“If an elderly person or a caregiver notices that they are experiencing post-recovery effects a month or two after they have COVID-19, they are not going to have any symptoms,” said Dr. Liron Cinfany, director of the Geriatric Hospital Service at Northwell Health, a large health system in New York. Like losing a lot of weight, feeling very weak, or forgetful, it’s worth getting evaluated.”
stay careful
Many primary care physicians are confused about how to identify and manage long-term COVID-19. And if you don’t get much help from your doctor, consider going to a clinic that specializes in long-term treatment of COVID, or a specialist who treats long-term COVID patients.
Also, be prepared to be patient, as waiting times can be long.
Comprehensive follow-up care
At the University of Southern California’s COVID-19 Recovery Clinic, doctors begin by making sure that any underlying medical conditions older patients have, such as heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are under control.
And they examine new symptoms that may appear after infection with Covid-19.
If pre-existing symptoms, and new ones, are managed correctly, and additional tests come back negative, “there is likely to be a long-term case of Covid,” according to Dr. Caitlin McCauley, a physician at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
At this point, the focus becomes on helping the elderly regain the ability to manage daily tasks such as showering, getting dressed, moving around the house, and shopping.
Usually, several months of physical therapy or cognitive rehabilitation is recommended.
Dr. Erica Spatz, assistant professor of cardiology at Yale University School of Medicine, is looking for evidence of organ damage, such as changes in the heart muscle, in older patients.
And if this is discovered, there are well-established treatments that can be tested. “The older a person gets, the more likely an organ infection will be detected,” Spatz said.
For seniors concerned about their cognitive functioning after recovering from COVID-19, McCauley recommends a neuropsychological exam.
“Many of the older patients who have contracted COVID-19 now feel they have dementia. But when they are examined, they find that all their high-level cognitive functions are intact, while attention or fluency is impaired, for example,” she said.
“It is important to understand the location of the deficit so that we can target treatment appropriately,” she stressed.
Gradual recovery
Spatz noted that older patients tend to lose strength and fitness after suffering from severe illness, a phenomenon known as “deconditioning,” and blood volume and heart muscle will begin to shrink within a few weeks if they stay in bed or aren’t active.
This can cause dizziness or a racing heart when standing up.
In line with recent recommendations from the American College of Cardiology, Spatz advises patients who develop these symptoms after recovering from Covid to drink more fluids, consume more salt, and wear compression stockings and an abdominal binder.
When you return to your workout, Spatz recommends starting with five to 10 minutes on a stationary bike and adding a few more minutes each week.
This “slow down” advice also applies to older adults with cognitive apprehensions after recovering from COVID-19.
Franz said he often recommends cutting back on time for demanding cognitive tasks, along with exercise, for brain health and memory.
At least early on, he noted, “people need less activity and more cognitive rest.”
Reorder predictions
Older people usually have a more difficult time recovering from a serious illness, including COVID-19. But even elderly people who have had mild or moderate reactions to the virus may find themselves suffering weeks or months later.
The most important message older patients need to hear is to “give yourself time to recover,” said Dr. Greg Vanishkathorn, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Covid Activity Rehabilitation Program in Rochester, Minnesota.
In general, it appears that older adults take longer to recover from long-term Covid disease than younger or middle-aged adults.
It is essential to learn how to prioritize and not do too much too quickly.
Instead, people need to learn how to organize themselves.
“Any significant health event forces people to reconsider their expectations and priorities, and the long-term COVID-19 has accelerated that,” said Jamie Wilcox, associate professor of clinical occupational therapy at Keck School of Medicine.