While social distancing may be the best way to keep family and friends safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation can increase feelings of loneliness that many senior citizens already experience. To help reduce those feelings, employees with Home Instead Senior Care have been getting creative to help seniors.
Officials with Home Instead those who live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities have been the most affected because they haven’t had visitors in more than two months.
“In a time when being physically close together may not be possible, staying engaged and connected in other ways is more important than ever,” said Home Instead’s Mollie Dougherty. “By exploring creative ways to keep in touch with our aging loved ones and neighbors, we can all make a big difference.”
Matt Staples, general manager at Home Instead, said he’s found that many people don’t realize they can take advantage of the resources that are there.
One caregiver has changed up the craft projects for seniors by teaching them how to make cloth face masks, something Staples said has given seniors a new purpose during the pandemic.
Technology is also being utilized more than ever to help seniors stay engaged. One Home Instead employee has helped seniors figure out how to pay their bills and order food online, and she taught some of them how to play games on their phones.
“They can do a lot online that they didn’t realize,” Staples said.
But it isn’t just those in nursing homes needing help — it’s also those who live alone or don’t have family members nearby.
Staples said one of Home Instead’s clients was living in isolation at a local nursing home, where her family couldn’t come visit her. Stephen Bryson, owner of the Owensboro Home Instead Senior Care office, found an apartment for that client to move into, allowing her family to come and see her whenever they wanted.
“He did an unbelievable thing,” Staples said.
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