Nuestra NEBRIJA 35 - octubre 2020

Although the pandemic has pushed health sys- tems to the limit, posing significant challenges, such as resource allocation, it is important to ad- dress these challenges while avoiding unfair dis- crimination and basing on the principle of health equity defined by the World Health Organization. However, under this complex and unpreceden- ted situation, we also find successful cases of humanized and equitable health care for older people infected by covid-19 and their families. These positive experiences are collected in our scientific article: How Much Is One Life Worth? The Right to Equity Healthcare for Improving Older Patients’ Health Infected by covid-19, se- lected as the cover for the September issue of Sustainability magazine. The fear of older patients Perceived discrimination increases feelings of loneliness and anxiety among older patients and their families. It can have negative conse- quences, as some older patients wait at home until they feel worse and may receive delayed medical treatment. On the contrary, listening to the opinions of the elderly, providing transparent and permanent information to them and their fa- milies contributes to making informed decisions that have an impact on their health. During the health emergency, we heard stories of nurses who went out of their way for older patients affected by covid-19, facing important dilemmas and developing new strategies to pro- vide them with the best possible health care. In these cases, the individualization of assistan- ce and care strengthens the relationship of trust between nurses and patients. When the health care provided could not prevent the elderly from dying from covid-19, in many hospitals, despite strict security measures, solutions were devised so that family members could say goodbye to their loved ones. Avoid isolation, promote solidarity Being hospitalized during covid-19 times should not lead to social isolation. On the contrary, in our research we found successful examples of hospital staff who made a great effort so that ol- der patients could be in daily contact with their families and loved ones, with very positive re- sults for their recovery and emotional well-being. The myths and stereotypes associated with aging hide the valuable social contributions that older people make every day. In hospitals, du- ring the most critical weeks, some older patients admitted due to covid-19 helped other vulnera- ble patients who were in worse condition, even younger ones. They did it out of solidarity and altruism. The type of assistance was diverse, from explai- ning how to protect themselves and not to infect health personnel, to giving practical information about the hospital or news from the outside, to even helping them contact their relatives. There were also compassionate expressions of protection towards those who were physically or emotionally weakest: Fernando, a 70-year- old patient with bilateral pneumonia, spent four days in the emergency room before being trans- ferred to a hospital room. The first two and a half days he was sitting in an armchair, wearing the clothes with which he came in. The next two he remained in an emergency room bed, with twen- ty other patients and a single bathroom. On the third day, in the same emergency room, he noticed that another patient in a nearby bed was dying. He witnessed the doctors and nur- ses discreetly trying to resuscitate him. Despite the difficult moment, Fernando remained calm and distracted another old woman by conver- sing with her so that she would not see what was happening. A symbol of hope In one of the central floors of a Madrid hospital, the nurses built a giant mural of hearts with the names of the patients who overcame covid-19. This mural is a gesture of homage and hope for the hospital community and for society. At the most critical and terrifying moments of the pandemic, many positive and hopeful examples of solidarity and care for older people took pla- ce. These positive experiences teach us that it is possible to fight the pandemic and seek the best healthcare equity without leaving anyone behind . 23 Article published in The Conversation on September the 3Oth, 2020.