Sheltered-in-Loneliness; Survey on U.S. Elderly and Caregivers Sheds Light on the Most Vulnerable and Voiceless Americans Impacted by COVID-19

Hero, the first-ever connected in-home medication management service, announced today the release of its 2021 Aging in the Pandemic Report examining the impact of COVID-19 on seniors and their caregivers’ lifestyles. The report was conducted via a SurveyMonkey poll of 1,860 seniors (people aged 60 or older) and caregivers from February 26th to March 3rd 2021, revealing insights on mental and economic health due to the pandemic.

Seniors are remaining isolated and going unchecked at home.

94% of seniors who responded never received a caregiver visit during COVID’s shelter-in-place between March 2020 to February 2021.  

Cost of Caring for Loved Ones; 56% of caregivers spend $10k or more. 26% spend over $25k a year. 

With many caregivers working closely with loved ones to manage their equipment, home maintenance, medication and transportation costs, Hero’s data found that 56% of caregivers spend over $10,000 per annum and 26% spend over $25,000 per annum caring for their loved ones. 

Senior Care Cost [Refer to Image]

Stressed caregivers are turning to alcohol and cannabis to cope with the pandemic.

A majority of male caregivers 51% and 40% of female caregivers, use cannabis which is roughly 4x the national U.S average per a 2019 Gallup Poll of only 12% of males and 9% of females using cannabis. 42% of caregivers surveyed have increased their cannabis consumption since the start of the pandemic. 

45% of males and 30% of female caregivers who use alcohol also increased their usage during the COVID period. This figure is almost equivalent to the national U.S average per a NIAAA survey showing 59% of males and 51% of females over the age of 18 use alcohol.

Caregiver Coping Methods [Refer to Image]

Seniors and caregivers are continuing to be challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the COVID-19 vaccine is rolling out across the country, seniors are still spending more time at home with reduced interaction from family members, friends and colleagues. This isolation can increase anxiety stemming from the fear of getting sick and others close to them becoming ill as well. 

Methodology:

Hero surveyed 1,869 seniors and caregivers between February 26 to March 3, 2021. Of the survey respondents, 1,068 were from seniors, and 801 were from people that classified themselves as caregivers. 

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About Hero

Hero is the first and only in-home medication management service. The Hero automatic medication manager intuitively sorts and dispenses medication, has audible and digital reminders, automates refills, and provides real-time as well as historical adherence data at your fingertips. Led by CEO Kal Vepuri, a seed-stage advisor and angel investor in over 175 companies such as Oscar, Clover and Quip, Hero was founded to be the world’s most people-focused health care company by creating frictionless solutions to the most challenging problems facing patients and caregivers.

Since launching in 2018, Hero has dispensed over 15M pills in every U.S. state and sent over 205K “running low on pills” notifications to patients and caregivers. Hero is registered with the U.S. FDA as a medical device and has become a trusted partner in a person’s health journey. The service is wildly popular among members with heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, cancer, MS, mental health conditions, Parkinson’s, and other chronic ailments that require complicated medication regimens.

Contact Information

Jamel Langley

Account Manager

VSC for Hero Health

hero@vsc.co