Geriatrics faculty connect nursing home patients with family during COVID-19

As the public continues to practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, feelings of isolation and loneliness are increasing, especially among the elderly population. Unable to see their family members in-person due to visitor restrictions, elderly patients in nursing homes are struggling to maintain their emotional and physical health.

Two Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics faculty members, Sivan Ben-Moshe, MD, and Sahebi Saiyed, MD, saw the isolation affecting their patients first-hand at Budd Terrace nursing home in Atlanta. Saiyed, medical director of the 250-bed long-term care facility, says this has been a very challenging time, especially for patients adjusting from frequent family visits to very limited contact.

“The first big challenge was to restrict visitation from families to see their loved ones,” said Saiyed. “In normal circumstances, we encourage frequent visitation of families and other loved ones, as isolation can cause numerous mental health issues among our patients. It is very emotionally challenging to isolate patients with cognitive impairment, and bar them from meeting their loved ones for weeks to months.”

When an opportunity presented itself to help these patients, Ben-Moshe and Saiyed knew they had to take action. Ben-Moshe, assistant professor of medicine, was approached by her friend, Catherine Mew, on Facebook about an iPad collection project she was organizing to help patients communicate with their loved-ones during the crisis. Ben-Moshe was able to collect iPads from Mew and worked with Saiyed to distribute the devices across the nursing home.

The addition of the iPads has greatly impacted the overall moral of the nursing home patients and enhanced medical care at the facility as telemedicine continues to be utilized.

“With more iPad availability, our staff have been able to help patients engage in video calls with their families, which will help their mood in these depressing times,” said Saiyed. “iPads also have helped facilitate telemedicine visits with consulting physicians, and family education and discharge planning (therapy, nursing, wound care) for skilled patients who are being discharged back to their homes.”

One of the iPad recipients is Budd Terrace patient, Daniel Haight. Haight shared, “The video program is first class. It’s a big addition to my week and my family loves it.”

Saiyed also says that technology should be utilized by everyone right now as a way to stay connected, and maintain both mental and physical health.

“In these distressing times, it’s important to physically distance but stay in touch with loved ones and find ways to relax,” advises Saiyed. “With technology, I am able to connect with my parents living in India a few times a day. There are numerous interesting virtual activities these days, including e-books, games, virtual zoo and museum visits, etc. I would encourage people to stay in touch with their loved ones via video-call resources and utilize the virtual recreational resources to stay emotionally healthy.”

Despite the hardships of this time, Ben-Moshe says the public can learn from these patients through their resilience and compassion.

“[Patients] continue to show us how community is important,” said Ben-Moshe. “Throughout my telemedicine visits, I have found out that my patients are sewing masks for people, collecting food to donate, and even willing to volunteer in COVID-19 hotspots like NYC. They have shown resilience and strength that they have learned throughout their lives when they were struggling to survive. They remind us that we can all learn from challenging situations with positive life lessons for the future so that we are ready to face further challenges in what life has to bring.”