We all know that social distancing is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As we covered last week, the Government has recommended aged care homes limit visits to combat the spread of the virus – and many homes have completely banned ‘non-essential’ visitors.
But aged care residents are already at increased risk of social isolation – in 2018, then-Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt estimated 40% of residents receive no visitors.
Research shows loneliness is linked to a range of poor health outcomes including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, disability, cognitive decline, depression and early mortality.
So, what can we do to improve the mental health of aged care residents during this difficult time?
Researchers from the National Ageing Research Institute and the Australian Catholic University have come up with a number of ideas which have been published in The Conversation.
For starters, they recommend activities such as reminiscence therapy and music therapy which have been shown to help loneliness and depression.
While visits from childcare groups, school students and volunteers are off the cards, the researchers say technology, such as Zoom, Skype and FaceTime, can be used to connect older people with family and friends as well as continue visitor programs online.
When technology isn’t available, a regular phone call could be a simple way to boost wellbeing.
They also recommend sending aged care residents individually curated music playlists, letters, photos and postcards using large font to help keep their spirits up.
Virtual karaoke is another option (we’re definitely up for that one) and Dementia Alliance International also has a suite of online resources for older people, including virtual tours of museums and galleries.
And what if you’re not that tech-savvy? The Government has just released a range of new resources on its Be Connected website which helps to train older people to use technology through over 45 free online courses.
It’s also important to support our aged care staff, who will be ‘filling the gap’ for families and friends.
BaptistCare is currently running an email campaign called ‘Support The Staff’ which enables family members of residents and the community to send messages of support to staff.
We think this is a great initiative – and please let us know if you know of any others and we will publish them here.
