Recognizing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had psychologically and emotionally is an important step in moving forward.
At Amica Little Lake, a seniors' residence in Barrie’s north end, residents have been participating in a program to help them process the emotional impact of the pandemic by identifying grief and loss, silver linings and reasons to be hopeful.
The aim of the program — which includes face-to-face guided sessions, virtual sessions for families and fireside chats for team members — is to help support the psychological well-being of senior residents and their families as they transition through and out of COVID-19.
“Instead of waiting and seeing if there are impacts on some people, we decided to be proactive and build a program to help our residents and family members with their psychological well-being as they transition through and out of the COVID,” said Dr. Heather Palmer, cognitive well-being advisor for Amica.
“It’s important to recognize that for many people COVID has been a major event in their life and oftentimes there can be long-term effects if we don’t cope with or address the impact it may or may not have had on us," Palmer added. "Instead of waiting until it’s over, we are starting to work on helping them (now).”
Residents were invited to attend sessions and were assisted through the use of exercises and questionnaires, sharing stories and guided discussions.
“We helped people move through the three different phases of what we call the COVID journey," Palmer explained.
"Phase 1 is about grief and loss: what is the negative impact COVID has had on you, what are the missed moments. We acknowledge those things and encourage residents to bring them out and embrace them, but not get stuck there,” she said, adding that oftentimes people can get stuck in the negative.
“Then, after we’ve had a good, healthy discussion and they’ve completed the questionnaires to help prompt the discussion, we then move to the second phase: The silver lining.”
Those discussions, the doctor noted, involve talking about the positive impacts of the pandemic. What most are surprised to learn is that the residents have a tendency to identify more positives than negatives, she added.
“There are many more silver linings … and those who are stuck in the negative space, because we do have some residents say they can’t think of a single positive, but when they hear others talk about their positives it helps them to re-frame their thinking,” she said.
That can be as simple as knowing what the good channels are on the TV to feeling more confident with technology and more connected to family because of it, to picking up old hobbies or having new hobbies, Palmer explained.
“A gentleman had shared with us that his wife had passed away during COVID... and a negative was not being able to have the family gather in the way that was a custom," Palmer said.
"In the same sentence, he was able to say, but as a result, they streamlined (the celebration of life) and family and friends from other countries were able to be part of it and he now had a copy of something he can watch regularly as he mourned and moved through his grief," she added.
Once the group has talked about and identified silver linings, the program moves to the third phase: Moving forward. This involves asking questions about goals and plans and what participants are most looking forward to — and then helping them to carry out those plans.
The program isn’t just for residents, Palmer noted, adding it’s also meant to help family members.
Families who have participated have been surprised to find the sessions are not simply them talking about their loved one who is living at Amica Little Lake, but rather focusing on them and helping them to address the impact the pandemic has had on them as well.
“The reality is, the family session is all about them and helping them address their COVID journey and acknowledge their grief, losses and silver linings. When they’re in a stronger psychological state, they’re in a better position to be a loved one to their family member who is living at Amica,” she said.
“Quite often, the needs of the family member gets eclipsed by the needs of the person living at Amica, and oftentimes they feel like their needs are not being addressed unless it’s by a company.”
It’s also given the opportunity to start thinking on a deeper level about these things and to continue these types of conversation with their loved one.
“Instead of just asking 'Mom, how are you?' they are going to ask some of these harder questions. They’re appreciative of the guidance so they can have more robust conversations with their own loved one.”
Reta Dutly, who is a resident at Amica Little Lake, told BarrieToday she looked forward to participating in the Review, Reflect & Refresh program as it gave her the opportunity to truly ponder her life during COVID-19.
“This Amica program helped me by giving me the opportunity to look back on my feelings of isolation, my coping strategies and to now focus on my hopes and plans for the future. Everyone has had a different journey that we are still travelling on, and this program gave us a map,” she said.
She believes the program would benefit many seniors.
Dutly’s “silver lining” was that she had the opportunity to spend more time on one of her hobbies.
“Another thing I did during this time was (create) a traditional rug hooking wall hanging. There are six homes joined together, representing family. Under a starry sky, there are nights in all the windows. The doors are closed but there is a path waiting for the time we can all gather together," she said.
Not addressing issues, whether we know they exist or not, can result in long-term health issues, and coming to terms with the impact it’s had on you is important in order to be able to move forward, added Palmer, who encourages people to go through the same process themselves at home.
“I would encourage families to, around the dinner table, ask these kinds of questions. Use it as a game even. Have everybody share what they missed most during COVID, or what was the worst part, or (what had the) most negative impact. Acknowledge each other and then ask the same questions we ask our resident’s such as what did you learn and what were some good outcomes,” she said.
“People are getting tired of it… but we are almost there. The goal is as we can see and smell the carrot we need to have everybody ready with hope, optimism and goals, so that as soon as everything is back to however it’s going to be, we are all ready to go.”
