ABSTRACT
The global scope of this event provoked social reaction stronger than information about the ongoing regional armed conflicts or other social problems such as famines, disease, human trafficking, the migrant crisis, civil revolutions, economic crises and terrorist attacks, which are affecting various countries and continents. The COVID-19 epidemic has shown the pluralism of human anxiety as it has impacted everyone regardless of race, gender, religion or age. It has equalized economies, political systems and public health care systems. COVID-19 revealed large-scale feelings of loneliness and objective isolation triggered by the lockdown. The pre-COVID reality in care services revealed many deficits in public welfare systems and the need to depending on informal caregivers, mostly family relatives. COVID-19 resulted in limited access even to this source of care due to fear of exposing older persons to infection, hospitalisation and death. Institutions acting for the benefit of older persons have undergone a great test.
