This year during National Skilled Nursing Care Week — held May 8 to 14, 2022 — the theme is connections.
Connections are critical, especially for older adults.
As the website for the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living put it:
“As human beings, we have a natural yearning to connect. Studies have linked people with strong social relationships to many aspects of positive health outcomes, especially among older adults.”
One of those studies, published recently in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, noted that “social connections are essential for health and well-being at all ages and may be especially important for promoting health in later life.” Loneliness, according to the study, is “associated with myriad adverse health outcomes, one of which is impaired immune functioning, which adds even greater risk for coronavirus infection, complications and death.”
In short, a lack of human connection can be harmful to health.
During the lockdowns and limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term care centers such as Christian Health Care Center needed to encourage physical distancing to prevent the spread of the disease while also ensuring that residents felt the sense of connection that is so incredibly important.
In many cases, CHCC team members stood in for family and friends to be the connections residents needed.
But at the same time, they were devising new and different ways to keep people connected. To ensure that residents could communicate as much as possible with family and friends, the CHCC therapeutic recreation staff dramatically increased the use of technology.
Today, through video visits, residents can communicate with loved ones who live nearby, in other states and even in other countries. With a number of iPads at their disposal, t-rec team members can ensure that residents can connect and communicate via video when desired.
Read more: Technology provides ‘moments of joy’ in memory care
The addition of video chats was made to support visitation during the pandemic, but it has been so popular that it will remain an option for visits even after pandemic restrictions have been lifted.
This is a boon for loved ones who do not live in the area, as it allows them to stay connected like never before with a person living in long-term care. CHCC has the tech devices and staffing to help residents stay connected.
In addition to video, technological options for CHCC residents to chat with loved ones include email and phone calls.
Read more: Therapeutic recreation: Adapting to meet any situation
While the use of technology has grown significantly during the pandemic, the importance of in-person connection remains. In addition to tech-assisted visits, in-person indoor and outdoor visitations and outings can be great options for family members and loved ones. And for those who are mildly ill or who have had a recent COVID-19 exposure, window visits remain a possibility.
To schedule a conversation with your loved one, visit chcclynden.org/visitation.