ABSTRACT
As the unpredictable but devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, health disparities among population groups become increasingly wider. Although statistics for the number of deaf older adults (DOA) and older adults with hearing loss (OAHL) affected by COVID-19 are currently unavailable, these populations could be more vulnerable than hearing older adults. It is important for social workers to understand the unique challenges of these populations in order to develop interventions to combat adverse COVID-19 outcomes. Despite the existence of some American Sign Language-accessible health websites, DOA are still at greater risk for eHealth disparities because these information sources are not tailored to the needs of a heterogeneous Deaf and hard of hearing community. Face masks compromise communication with OAHL by preventing lip reading and decreasing volume and accuracy. Masks can compromise acquisition of COVID-related information (i.e., preventive methods, test locations, coping with COVID-related risk factors), increasing their risk for adverse COVID-19 outcomes.
