Addressing Rehabilitation Needs During a Pandemic: Solutions to Reduce Burden on Acute and Post-Acute Care

The letter by Valenzuela et al “Coronavirus lockdown: forced inactivity for the oldest old?,”1 calls for the need to address the deleterious effects of isolation-driven inactivity for older adults. Although mitigation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread is foremost, we recognize another impending crisis: overburden of acute and post-acute care capacity because of noninfectious and avoidable admissions secondary to inactivity. Older adults at the greatest risk for mortality from COVID-19 are also at the greatest risk for functional decline during a period of isolation.