Digital Race For COVID -19 Vaccines Leaves Many Seniors Behind

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Seniors and first responders try to snag one of 800 doses available at a vaccination site in Fort Myers, Fla.

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Finding out how to get a vaccine appointment was more straightforward for Gerald Kahn, 76, who lives in Madison, Conn.

Kahn got an email notice from the state’s vaccine registration system telling him to make an appointment, but he ran into problems at the very end of the sign up process.

«As much as I would pound my finger on the face of my iPad, it didn’t do me any good, he says.

So Kahn did what many have and called a younger family member who was able to help him finish the sign up process.

«I think there are a lot of people my age, maybe the preponderance, who can only go so far into the Internet, and then we’re not only stymied but also frustrated, he says.

When Helen Francke, 92, logged on for a vaccine at the designated time, she discovered the spots available in Washington D.C. filled up almost instantaneously.

«It was evident that I was much too slow, she says. «It’s terribly competitive and clearly favors those with advanced computer skills.

The next week, Francke tried calling and going online — this time with the help of her neighbors — without success.

«If I had had to depend on the D.C. vaccination website and telephone, I’d still be anxious and unsuccessful, says Francke, who only got a shot after finding information on her neighborhood listserv that directed her to a local hospital.

In Arizona, Karen Davis, 80, ended up on a roundabout quest through state and hospital websites with no clear sense of how to actually book an appointment.

«I kept trying to do it and kind of banged my head against the wall too many times, she says.

Davis, who’s a retired nurse, called her doctor and the pharmacy, and then eventually turned to a younger relative who managed to book a 5 A.M. appointment at a mass vaccine site.

«I’m sure they did not expect older people to be able to do this, she says.

Meanwhile, Miguel Lerma, who lives in Phoenix, says his 69-year-old mother has been unsuccessful in finding a shot.

«She’s not an English speaker and doesn’t know technology well, and that’s how everything is being done, says Lerma, 31.

Lerma says it’s especially painful to watch his mother struggle to get the vaccine — because he lost his father to COVID-19 last year..

«She’s mourning not only for my dad, but she’s also suffering as an adult now because she depended on him for certain tasks, Lerma says. «He would’ve handled all this.

«Desperate for a shot, seniors look for help

When the vaccine rollout began it lacked federal coordination, which resulted in a patchwork of different rules and systems that vary state-to-state and even county-to-county.

Seniors feel those shortcomings acutely because of the reliance on digital systems and other barriers to access like transportation, says Vivian Nava-Schellinger at the National Council on Aging and National Institute of Senior Centers.

Nava-Schellinger thinks the government should be more aggressively recruiting senior centers and community organizations to help reach older adults.

«When you don’t have a coordinated effort, you will leave seniors behind and most likely they will be seniors who are in the more vulnerable populations, she says.

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Philip Bretsky, a primary care doctor in Southern California, says his older patients would typically call him or visit their local pharmacy for vaccines like the annual flu shot, rather than rely on online scheduling systems.

«That’s not how 85-year-olds have interacted with the health care system, so it’s a complete disconnect, Bretsky says. «These folks are basically just investing a lot of time and not getting anything out of it.

California’s recent decision to change its vaccination plan and open it up to those over 65 only adds to the confusion.

Bretsky says his patients are being told to call their doctor for information, but he isn’t even sure when his office, which is authorized to give the vaccine, will receive any.

«Patients in this age group want to know that they’re at least being heard or somebody is thinking about the challenges they have, he says.

There are some local efforts to make that happen.

In the village of Los Lunas, New Mexico, public health workers held an in-person sign-up event for seniors who needed assistance or simply a device connected to the internet.

A Florida senior center recently held a vaccination registration event and a clinic specifically for people over 80 who might not have a computer.

Jeremy Novich, the clinical psychologist in New York, teamed up with a few people to create an informal help service for older adults. It began as a small endeavor, advertised through a few synagogues and his Facebook page. They’ve now helped more than 100 people get shots.

«We have a huge number of requests that are just piling up, says Novich.

«People are really desperate and they’re also confused because nobody has actually explained to them when they are expected to get vaccinated… it’s a big mess.

The ongoing shortage of vaccines has led Novich to halt the service for now.

This story is from NPR’s partnership with Kaiser Health News.