Caregivers need to be doing much more to keep elders active!
It seems that caregivers are not doing nearly enough to keep their elders active during the pandemic. A new survey by Altarum, a healthcare consulting agency, shows that 64% of nursing home residents are not leaving their rooms to socialize, and 54% reported they were not participating in any in-home activities.
Plus, visitors are way down, and the net result of all this is that 76% felt lonelier than usual.
The surveyors said: “The findings are stark, showing a drastic reduction in social activities and a steep increase in reported feelings of loneliness.” This is a serious situation in some nursing homes, and frontline caregivers can help considerably.
In fact, this survey clearly shows that frontline caregivers should be doing a lot more!
Get them out of their rooms, even if it’s for short, frequent walks. This is not rocket science… just simple walks up and down the hallways, maybe with occasional stops in the doorways of other elders, can help a lot. Or arrange for them to visit others in the nursing home, using masks and proper distancing. Or help arrange for games, such as bingo, that they
can play sitting in their doorways. Visit and chat with them more frequently than before, as you may be the only visitors they’re getting. What you don’t want to do is stand around doing
nothing to help your elders during these depressing times. Instead, think of some creative things you can do to help get through this.
Remember: The health and well being of your elders is your main job as a caregiver, and they need you more than ever before!
You can read their whole report here: https://altarum.org/news/survey-nursing-home-residents-revealsdeep-emotional-toll-social-isolation-under-covid-19