One-Year Report of COVID-19 Impact on Geriatric Patients: a Bio-Psycho-Social Approach

BACKGROUND: Since December of 2019, coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly around the world. Our understanding of the infection has grown over the past year, and its impact on older adults is particularly significant. Apart from the direct impacts of COVID-19 infections, it has also led to lockdowns which, in turn, result in isolation and loneliness. METHOD: We conducted a literature review of publicly available articles of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the geriatric population between December 2019 and April 2021, a total of 748 articles. RESULTS: The review will be presented with the Bio-Psycho-Social model, covering how the biological, psychological, and sociological aspects of health are intertwined and impact older adults. Early studies have also highlighted the prevalence of post-COVID infection symptoms that typically fall under geriatric medicine care. We highlight the bidirectional impact of isolation and COVID-19 infections on geriatric health, as well as discuss pertinent topics such as vaccine efficacy, long-term sequelae of COVID-19 infections, and ageism. CONCLUSION: This review seeks to present a one-year report of what is known about COVID-19 and geriatric medicine, as well as provide guidance to practitioners who care for older adults based on the most up-to-date literature.