COVID-19: Resources for seniors and their caregivers

On this page

• Lower your chance of getting sick
• Get vaccinated
• What to do if you develop symptoms of COVID-19
• Take care of your mental and physical health
• Financial support
• Protect yourself from fraud and elder abuse
• For older Indigenous adults
• For veterans
• For caregivers

Lower your chance of getting sick

As an older adult, you’re at risk of more severe disease or outcomes from COVID-19.

Community transmission of COVID-19 continues in many areas across Canada, and variants of concern are circulating. This is why it's even more important to consistently use multiple personal preventive practices at once, even if you’re vaccinated. This is called a layered approach and it helps protect yourself and others.

Continue to take precautions like:

• minimizing non-essential in-person interactions with people from outside your immediate household
  • if interactions are necessary, make sure they’re as few, as brief and from the greatest physical distance possible
• wearing a mask when recommended
• washing your hands
• cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects that you touch frequently

Learn more about:

• People at risk of more severe disease or outcomes
• Personal preventive practices
• COVID-19 resources specific to your province or territory

Get vaccinated

Some restrictive public health measures may begin to gradually lift as more people are vaccinated and cases decrease in your community.

While vaccines rollout across Canada, continue to follow:

• the advice of your local public health authority
• personal preventive practices whether you’ve been vaccinated or not

This will help protect yourself, your family and your community.

Learn more about:

• COVID-19: How to get vaccinated
• Life after vaccination
• COVID-19 vaccines
• COVID-19 vaccine safety: Weekly report on reactions following vaccination
• How many COVID-19 vaccines have been given in Canada

What to do if you develop symptoms of COVID-19

If you develop any symptoms of COVID-19, even if mild, stay home and isolate yourself away from others. You should be tested. Call your health care provider or local public health authority for further instructions.

If you develop any of these severe symptoms, call 911 or your local emergency help line:

• significant difficulty breathing
• chest pain or pressure
• new confusion
• difficulty waking up

Let them know that you may have COVID-19.

Learn more about:

• COVID-19 symptoms
• COVID-19: How to quarantine or isolate at home
• COVID-19 resources specific to your province or territory
• People at risk of more severe disease or outcomes

Similarities to the flu

COVID-19 and the flu can have similar symptoms. If you start to develop symptoms, follow the same precautions taken for COVID-19.

Adults over the age of 65 are at a higher risk of flu-related complications. Getting your annual flu shot is the most effective way to help protect yourself and others against seasonal flu. The flu shot will help:

• prevent the flu and flu-related complications
• reduce stress on the health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic

You can also protect yourself and those around you from the flu and COVID-19 by following personal preventive practice.

Take care of your mental and physical health

This can be a challenging time for many reasons.

It's important to take care of your mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 protection measures may increase feelings of social isolation, but you're not alone. Ask for help if you need it. Stay engaged with your community. If you need someone to talk to in confidence, reach out to:

• Wellness Together Canada: Mental health and substance use support
• Crisis Services Canada: Resources and supports
• Canadian Coalition for Seniors' mental health COVID-19 resources
• National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Fountain of Health for Optimal Aging
• Canadian Frailty Network: Tips to avoid social isolation
  • For older adults with technology (PDF)
  • For older adults without technology (PDF)

Health tips for older adults

• How to lower your fall risk
• Active Aging Canada: At-home exercises (PDF)
• Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging: Active at home videos
• Canada's Food Guide: Healthy eating for seniors
• Oral health for seniors
• Oral health tips for caregivers supporting older adults living with dementia at home

Financial support

We're supporting older Canadians financially by:

• reducing minimum withdrawals for Registered Retirement Income Funds
• supporting community services and supports, such as the delivery of items and personal outreach through United Way Canada and other organizations
• providing a one-time tax-free payment to help seniors cover increased costs caused by COVID-19
• temporarily extending the Guaranteed Income Supplement and allowance payments

If you've stopped working because of COVID-19 and earn more than $5,000 annually, you're eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. It pays $2,000 each month for up to 4 months. You can earn up to $1,000 each month while collecting the benefit, but this doesn't count payments for:

• Old Age Security (OAS)
• the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
• the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)

Your public pensions don't change your eligibility.

If you receive Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD), you may be eligible for other provincial or territorial support, including COVID-19 emergency benefits.

Protect yourself from fraud and elder abuse

Events like COVID-19 can increase the risk of fraud and elder abuse.

Learn how to protect yourself from fraud:

• COVID-19: Scams, frauds and misleading claims
• Cyber Security: Cyber hygiene for COVID-19
• Canada Revenue Agency: Know how to recognize a scam
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Reported scams

If you're experiencing elder abuse or neglect, seek help at a time and place that's safe for you. For more information, including where to find help, visit the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.

For older Indigenous adults

Indigenous elders provide guidance in communities. It's important that elders remain connected to others during this pandemic while being supported and protected from the spread of COVID-19.

The following resources can help support your mental and physical needs.

General resources

• Social isolation of seniors: A focus on Indigenous seniors in Canada
• Hope for Wellness Helpline

First Nations resources

• Assembly of First Nations and COVID 19
  • includes tips and considerations around mental wellness
• First Peoples Wellness Circle: Printable information sheets for COVID-19
  • resources for a variety of audiences that address healing, wellness and other mental health challenges
• Thunderbird Partnership Foundation: COVID-19 resources
  • resources include several specific to substance use and have been developed using the Honouring Our Strengths document as a framework
• First Nations Health Managers Association: Online town hall
  • weekly town halls to discuss topics like how COVID-19 is affecting health managers, frontline health workers and First Nations communities
• National Association of Friendship Centres: Resource list
  • Indigenous resources from trusted sources
• Native Women's Association of Canada and COVID-19
  • information to help connect people with their elders

Inuit resources

• Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and COVID-19
  • includes a list of supports for urban Inuit

Métis resources

• Métis National Council and COVID-19
  • resources and messages covering aspects of being prepared and responding to the pandemic

For veterans

Learn more about COVID-19 information and assistance for veterans.

For caregivers

Individuals who care for older adults at home

If you provide care to an older adult at home, follow public health advice to keep yourself and others safe.

Learn more about caregiving at home:

• How to care for someone at home who has or who may have been exposed to COVID-19
• Carers Canada: General caregiver support
• Alzheimer Society Canada: Tips for people with dementia, caregivers and families (PDF)
• Canadian Frailty Network: Help older adults prepare for potential illness or quarantine (PDF)

Health care workers who care for older adults in a health or community setting

If you work with older adults in a health or community setting, follow your facility’s or workplace’s infection prevention and control protocols.

Learn more about working in health or community settings during the pandemic:

• Infection prevention and control for COVID-19: Interim guidance for long-term care homes
• Using ventilation and filtration to reduce aerosol transmission of COVID-19 in long-term care homes
• World Health Organization: Older people and COVID-19
• COVID-19 pandemic guidance for the health care sector

Community support

We're working with organizations and partners to provide immediate and essential services to seniors during COVID-19. Learn more about what we're doing through the New Horizons for Seniors Program.