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Isolation in Nursing Homes Hurts the Mental Health of Residents Isolation in Nursing Homes

Isolation hurts the mental health of senior living residents.

By Jolie Zenna

Sunrise of Old Tappan residents participating in a group exercise activity.
© Jolie Zenna

REPORTER: “The main dining room in Sunrise of Old Tappan Senior Living Facility is filled with residents sharing meals and interacting with staff.
masks are mandated for everyone but visitors are welcome and the activities calendar is full through the holiday. When Genevieve’s daughters made the tough decision to put their mother in a nursing home for her safety during the pandemic, they didn’t want to put her somewhere that would take away their spirit.”

GENEVIEVE FOLEY: “I said why are you putting me in Jersey, I’m a New York girl. They said we checked all around near Chappaqua and you’d just be sitting there waiting to die and here you can start at 10:30 in the morning and it will take you right through dinner.”

REPORTER: “Although she was reluctant, the friendships with residents make her happy to live there even through the uncertain times of the pandemic.”

FOLEY: “Getting together with people that’s what I really like. When we sit and chat, you know?”

REPORTER: “Unfortunately this is not the case for all residents in nursing homes. Janice Adujar constantly worries about the physical and mental health of her father as the Covid cases in his facility are not under control and residents remain in isolation. Her only visits with him are through a window.

JANICE ADUJAR: “He looks fine, but I don’t know how he feels inside. He can not talk, he can not express himself so I really don’t know how he’s doing.”

REPORTER: “Experts and resident advocates say that isolation only increases the death toll of patients in nursing homes that is already so high because of the pandemic. VP of care communities at Presbyterian Senior Care, Bobbie Gray, says she saw a lack of will to live in many of her residents when they were in isolation.”

BOBBIE GRAY: “Somebody in their upper eighties or low nineties they think this is going to be the way the rest of my life goes and why should I even hang around? I did hear some of those comments for those people. Um you know, what is there to live for if this is how the rest of my life’s going to be?”

REPORTER: “Director of the activities department at Van Duyn’s Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, Urich Mitchell, noticed this same lack of morale in his residents so hopes to plane interactive activities this holiday season to cheer them up.”

URICH MITCHELL: “We’re doing different things door decorating contests, ugly sweater contests, um a lot of crafts for the holidays.”

REPORTER: “As the New York State policies on Covid continue to change, Other Syracuse nursing homes like Van Duyn and Loretto hope to provide more group activities to their residents to aid their their mental health back to where it once was. Jolie Zenna, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Nursing homes hold the demographic that is most vulnerable to Covid-19 with the AARP reporting that Covid-19 killed more than 186,000 residents and staff in the United States. This forced many facilities to put their residents into isolation. While this protects their physical safety, their mental health is compromised as many residents miss their family and friends and develop depression.

Bobbie Gray, VP of Care Communities, saw a lack of will to live in many of her patients while in isolation.

“Somebody in their upper 80’s or low 90’s they think this is going to be the way the rest of my life goes and why should I even hang around? I did hear some of those comments for those people. Um you know, what is there to live for if this is how the rest of my life’s going to be?” Gray said.

Isolation is not only hard on the residents, but their family members who fear that they will not be able to see their loved ones in the last chapter of their life. Janice Adujar’s father remains in isolation in his facility because the Covid-19 cases are not under control. She can only visit him through a window and is fearful about how much his mental health has suffered from being alone for so long.

“He looks fine, but I don’t know how he feels inside. He can not talk, he can not express himself so I really don’t know how he’s doing,” Adujar said.

Urich Mitchell, the Director of Activities at Van Duyn’s Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, knows how important group activities are to the residents at the home. It is what the residents look forward to most.

“A lot of people basically live off of  those programs and that schedule is really how they get through the day so with the disruption of it, it really brought a lot of people down to a low place,” Mitchell said.

Residents in homes that do provide group activities and visitors are happier and more hopeful even during the uncertain times of the pandemic.

Genevieve Foley, a resident at Sunrise of Old Tappan Assisted Living Facility, is able to enjoy the company of her friends in the home and see her family whenever she wishes and so living in the facility makes her feel safe and happy.

“Getting together with people that’s what I really like. When we sit and chat, you know?” Foley said.

Group activities raise the morale of many residents as they allow them to reunite with their friends. If New York State  Covid-19 protocol allows, Mitchell plans to provide group activities to cheer up the residents this holiday season.

“We’re doing different things door decorating contests, ugly sweater contests, um a lot of crafts for the holidays,” Mitchell said.

Many nursing homes are understaffed because of the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for workers in senior facilities. Loretto, a Syracuse nursing home, was hit with many staff members quitting because of the mandate, but hopes to provide more in-person activities to their residents to aid their mental health back to where it once was.

 

 

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