• Menu
  • Menu
  • News
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
Trending
UAE holidays 2021 Coronavirus Special Reports Find Jobs in the UAE Travel
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • Crime
    • Education
      • Young Editors
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Health
      • Better Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Science
    • Weather
    • Reader Complaint
    • Ask the Law
    • UAE's Hope Probe
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Ask Us
    • Safety+Security
  • Gulf
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Energy
    • Analysis
    • Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Company Releases
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
    • Mena
    • Europe
      • Brexit
    • Africa
    • Americas
      • US Presidential Elections 2020
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Oceania
    • Offbeat
    • Court and Crime
    • Coronavirus
    • Infographics
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
    • Off the Cuff
    • Cartoons
    • From the Editors
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Horse Racing
      • Dubai World Cup
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
      • ICC
    • Football
    • Motorsport
    • Tennis
      • Dubai Duty Free Tennis 2020
    • Golf
    • Rugby
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • Pakistani Cinema
    • Pinoy Celebs
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theatre
    • Arts+Culture
  • Going Out
    • Movie Reviews
    • Society
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
  • Auto
    • News
    • Test Drives
    • Car Culture
    • Auto Care
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
      • Beating Breast Cancer
    • Family
    • Community
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • #Pinoy
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Weekend Review
  • GN Reach
  • Jobs
  • Tech
    • Electronics
      • Gitex Shopper
    • Gaming
    • Trends
    • Fin-Tech
    • Media
  • How To
    • Employment
      • Jobs
    • Passports & Visas
    • Your Money
    • Legal
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • #Pinoy
    • Community
    • Travel
    • Technology
  • GN Focus
  • Travel
    • Destinations
    • Hotels
  • Gold-Forex
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Gulf News store
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
    COVID-19: Spain's elderly suffer as coronavirus tears safety nets

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Saturday, March 6, 2021
    Gold / Forex

    Photos News

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    COVID-19: Spain's elderly suffer as coronavirus tears safety nets

    Health care workers, emergency medical personnel tend to Spain's home-bound eldery


    Published:  April 10, 2020 11:33 Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Digital Content Editor

    1 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    Barcelona: The elderly of Barcelona's working-class Poble Sec neighborhood, the generation who survived widespread hunger after the Spanish Civil War, started out vulnerable. Image Credit: AP
    2 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    Drawn to Spain's industrial heartland a generation ago, they relied in retirement on free lunches from neighborhood social centers. Many received medical care from the local clinic, where doctors and nurses made house calls. Social workers brought them groceries. Image Credit: AP
    3 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    But the coronavirus pandemic has heightened their fragility, stripping away the safety nets that kept them fed and healthy and exposing them to a daily threat of infection that they know could kill them. Image Credit: AP
    4 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    For two weeks, a photographer accompanied Barcelona's visiting health care workers and emergency medical personnel as they tended to Spain's home-bound elderly. Image Credit: AP
    5 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    The autonomous region of Catalonia, of which Barcelona is the capital, ranks only second to Madrid in Spain's official count of virus infections and deaths, with nearly 30,000 cases and more than 3,000 dead. Image Credit: AP
    6 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    As in similarly hard-hit Italy, Spain's elderly aren't usually being tested for COVID-19. They also aren't being admitted to hospital intensive care units, where coveted beds and breathing machines are prioritized for younger, healthier patients with a better chance of survival. Nationwide, only 3.4% of Spain's ICU patients are over 80. Image Credit: AP
    7 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    As a result, Barcelona's elderly are suffering at home, alone and more isolated than ever. Few know for sure if they have the virus, but the threat that they might catch it _ even from the visiting medical teams they need _ has only heightened their anxiety. Image Credit: AP
    8 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    Alba Rodriguez is a pediatric nurse by profession but shifted gears to care for Barcelona's elderly who are confined to their homes. She has had to get creative to protect herself, fashioning hazmat suits out of giant yellow garbage bags that she and her fellow nurses wear over their scrubs. Image Credit: AP
    9 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    The nurses know well there is a chance they might infect their patients during their visits, and they take all the precautions they can. Sometimes the elderly refuse medical care until it's too late, because they fear visiting medics might bring the virus into their homes. Image Credit: AP
    10 of 14
    APTOPIX_Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable_06641
    Maria Perez Gomez, 70, reluctantly called emergency medical services when she started having trouble breathing and developed a cough and fever. When the medics arrived, she begged them to tell her she wasn't positive, though she suspected she was. "Please leave me here at home, don't take me to the hospital," she pleaded. "Tell me doctor that I don't have the virus." Image Credit: AP
    11 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    Enrique Pastor, 86, lies in bed surrounded by the oil paintings he created as he waits for the doctor to examine him during a home medical visit. Pastor's usual caregiver tested positive for the virus, leaving the bedridden retired port worker home alone with his wife. Image Credit: AP
    12 of 14
    APTOPIX_Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable_90281
    A home care doctor performs a physical exam on Felicidad while her son, Joan, holds her arm at her home. Felicidad had been admitted to the hospital after suffering a stroke but was sent home within a day and soon developed respiratory symptoms. Image Credit: AP
    13 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    Gonzalo Garcia, 61, does have the virus and was hospitalized for it. He was discharged after he improved, and immediately went back home _ to his waiting 91-year-old mother, Gloria. After a few days, he took a turn for the worse and had to call emergency services again. Image Credit: AP
    14 of 14
    Virus_Outbreak_Spains_Most_Vulnerable
    "I'm drowning. I'm drowning. I can't breathe," he told the medic who arrived to check his lungs as he heaved on the living room sofa. All Garcia could manage was a raspy whisper. The ambulance took him away. His mother was left alone. Image Credit: AP

    Trending

    • Al Ain Zoo celebrates World Wildlife Day

      Al Ain Zoo celebrates World Wildlife Day


    • Gift for Francis: Shawl tells story of Iraqi Christians

      Gift for Francis: Shawl tells story of Iraqi Christians


    • Sheikh Hamdan marks 13 years as Crown Prince of Dubai

      Sheikh Hamdan marks 13 years as Crown Prince of Dubai


    • Look: Emirati women at Fazza Championship for Shooting

      Look: Emirati women at Fazza Championship for Shooting


    • Dubai among world’s friendliest cities

      Dubai among world’s friendliest cities

    Latest In

    • Photos: Mars rover Perseverance goes for a 'spin'

      16 minutes ago

    • Portugal to quarantine passengers from UK, Brazil

      43 minutes ago

    • Oman: Ministry of Labour issues warning to companies

      53 minutes ago

    • UAE: Where is my refund for a cancelled flight?

      54 minutes ago

    • England find no answers to spin duo in lop-sided series

      58 minutes ago

    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • Baby & Child
    • Friday
    • Inside Out
    • Watch Time
    • Wheels
    • getthat
    • GN Tech
    • Jobs
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Gulf News store
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or