AARP Bulletin Reveals Why Some Older People Get Sick – and Others Don’t

WASHINGTON – One of the most important questions still unanswered in the coronavirus pandemic is, why do some older people fall prey so easily to the virus, while others readily fend it off? AARP Bulletin provides many key clues in its May edition, in an exclusive investigative health report about the aging immune system. The story reveals why some people’s immune cells drop off at different rates, how chronic inflammation plays a role in disease prevention, and which actions older people can take that can be most beneficial to their immune systems in these unprecedented times.

The story is just one of many devoted to coverage of COVID-19 by AARP, all 100 percent focused on the unique needs and issues of older Americans. In fact, the May issue is the first single-subject issue in the history of the publication.

Other stories in the May issue include:

Your Health

A Q&A with Dr. Sanjay Gupta: CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, answers questions about the coronavirus, lessons he’s learned from the pandemic and why he has hope for the future.

How to deal with pandemic-related anxiety. Whether you’re under intense marital stress, a caregiver for someone that’s been separated from you or at a greater risk for COVID-19 because of your ethnic group or health condition, AARP Bulletin offers possible ways to take control of your unique situation and turn it into something positive.

Your Money

Financial experts give advice for trying times: The financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have many people wondering about the future of the economy. In a Q&A, eight of the sharpest minds in the financial world – from CEO’s to top economists – answer questions on the troubling state of the economy and how to ride it out. Read their answers in this month’s issue.

Your Life

• Nurses share their COVID-19 stories: Nurses and other healthcare professionals are our first line of defense against the coronavirus. In places like New York, nurses scrambled to save lives as cases spiked seemingly overnight. Others are working tirelessly to test as many people as possible, and thousands of health care professionals have contracted the virus themselves. “We’re still in the early stages of this,” says ER nurse Jacque Waugh. “If we get hit tomorrow, I’m not at all confident we’d have what we need to keep us safe.” Nurses all over the country share their stories in this month’s issue.
• Quarantine lessons from outer space: Astronaut Sunita Williams spent 322 days orbiting Earth, often crammed in with colleagues under unique stresses. She shares with AARP her advice for the rest of us on how to get along during quarantine with your sanity and happiness untarnished.

More information can be found at: http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/

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About AARP

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.