Landes discusses vaccines for those aiding people with IDD in LAist article

September 14, 2021

LAist

Scott D. Landes

Sociology Department

Aging Studies Institute

Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

COVID-19

Health Policy

IDD

United States

LAist

Scott D. Landes

In August, California issued a health order requiring people who work in hospitals, nursing homes and adult day care centers to be vaccinated by the end of September. Even though they do much of the same intimate work, in-home health aides, who are paid for through the state’s regional center network, are not included on that list. "If you have an intellectual disability, and you're living in your own home or a family home, you're doing better than those living in a congregate setting. However, you still have some increased risk compared to the general population," says Scott Landes, associate professor of sociology. Landes says cases seem to be dependent on two variables: pre-existing conditions, and the amount of in-person intimate care that the developmentally disabled person needs. "Which really just makes sense for COVID," he says. "If you've got a caregiver that's right up next to you, all day, it's going to increase the chances that you could get the disease." Read more in the LAist article, "People With Developmental Disabilities Want Their Home Health Workers Vaccinated."