Homestead of Eudora has outside entertainers perform, therapy dogs, bingo and exercise groups to get seniors out of their rooms and moving." />
Homestead of Eudora has outside entertainers perform, therapy dogs, bingo and exercise groups to get seniors out of their rooms and moving.
Nancy Wickersheim struggled with getting out of bed at the beginning of the pandemic lockdown.
So the Eudora senior citizen decided she needed to find something each day to get her out of bed to keep moving.
“I wasn’t very happy with myself. I was afraid. I didn’t want to bother anybody and couldn’t bother anybody,” Wickersheim said. “I figured the best way to get out of this was to get out of the pity party and do something.”
With the impending two-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, many older Americans have struggled with fear and isolation.
One in 5 Americans ages 65 and older are socially isolated, AARP Kansas Director Glenda DuBoise said.
With more isolation, older people are showing more signs of depression and other mental health issues, DuBoise said.
Many older people feel it is a burden to their families to ask for help, which can lead to more withdrawal and further physical health issues.
The Senior Foundation of Eudora has sought to keep seniors active, yet has recently had to cancel events due to surges in COVID cases.
Experts and local senior citizens recently described how they have tried to cope with the pandemic’s impacts the past two years.
“Laughter and music is the answer”
For Wickersheim, dancing in her living room has been a way to exercise since she can no longer regularly attend square dancing classes and has cut back on going to exercise groups.
However, she can tell a difference in her mental health on days when she has no activities to look forward to.
Wickersheim started participating with six other seniors in a yoga class taught in her basement by Mary Kirkendoll. Wickersheim has also started to have lunch with friends one on one in her house at a distance but is still very cognizant of COVID-19 in her daily life.
Wickersheim is involved with the Senior Foundation of Eudora and hopes the group will be able to schedule more events soon. The group has not had events since December, but Wickersheim and the other members make regular calls to all the isolated seniors on their list to help connect and socialize.
Being able to go to nursing homes has brought her more satisfaction during a time of isolation.
Wickersheim goes to Homestead of Eudora and Medicalodges to socialize and dance with residents. Many of the memory care patients go from shy to “completely different people” once the music turns on, she said.
“When I come to the nursing home, I give them a little time, and they light up like a Christmas tree,” Wickersheim said. “Laughter and music is the answer.”
By finding a way to help other seniors, she has helped her own depression. Wickersheim has felt more fulfilled since she started visiting people who have become her close friends.
It gives her a reason to get out of bed every day. She looks forward to the different activities she plans, whether it is this week’s bingo prize or getting people on their feet to dance.
“It makes you want to help people when people do it to you,” Wickersheim said.
“Everything has changed”
Long-term care facilities have endured significant challenges throughout COVID-19, comprising nearly 25% of pandemic deaths in the United States, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
About 1,900 nursing home residents in Kansas died of COVID-19 between January 2020 and mid-December 2021, according to the most recent data available on AARP’s website from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
This accounted for 29% of all COVID-19 deaths in the state. Ten nursing home staffers in Kansas also died from COVID-19 in that timeframe.
Nearly 90% of Kansas nursing home residents and 75% of nursing home staff were fully vaccinated as of mid-December, although booster rates lagged at 57% and 21%, respectively.
Health care workers could be some of the only people the residents see on a regular basis due to COVID precautions.
For the residents in assisted-living facilities or nursing homes, they may have had to adjust to not seeing their loved ones as frequently or not seeing them at all, Homestead of Eudora Executive Director Brandy Coons said.
With more isolation due to social distancing and COVID-19 protocols, Coons has seen it take a toll on the mental and physical health of many of their residents.
Visitors are coming around less frequently out of precaution of their loved ones, Coons said. For the past year, residents have been allowed to have visitors in their rooms.
“Everything has changed,” Coons said. “It has caused them to have more depression. It’s taking a toll on their physical health, too.”
Coons said the facility has done well managing COVID, but the pandemic has still been a struggle.
“The things that we needed to do could change very frequently,” she said.
The assisted-living facility works to have constant activities to get smiles onto the faces of seniors. Homestead has outside entertainers perform, therapy dogs, bingo and exercise groups to get seniors out of their rooms and moving.
“Just get a smile”
On Friday afternoon, Homestead of Eudora residents experienced the joy of music and dancing that reminds them of prior times.
Shirley Murphy and Dean Elliot showed their dancing skills during a performance by singer Rick Marvin.
Murphy attends every event she can at Homestead, including the outside entertainers and bingo. She feels dancing and being able to touch others is an important way to interact in the community.
“I used to be a really good dancer,” Murphy said. “Me and my husband won a jitterbug contest one time.”
Elliot and Murphy both agreed it is important for him to keep busy, alert and moving. Elliot thinks he needs to do more activities and dancing gives him a better mindset.
“I dance every chance I get,” Elliot said.
Marvin performs twice a month at Homestead of Eudora and about 10 other nursing homes. He believes there is no greater feeling than getting smiles onto seniors’ faces.
“I can’t tell you how much of a chilling feeling it gives me,” Marvin said.
Since Marvin has performed steadily at long-term care facilities for the past five years, he has seen changes in seniors during the pandemic.
Marvin has had to stop performing when COVID-19 cases surge, but he wants to “just get a smile” and “settle the brains” of the residents whenever he can.
The importance of connection
KU Ph.D. student Darcy Sullivan has found depression and anxiety aren’t the only concerns for senior citizens during the pandemic but also the development of new mental health issues on top of existing conditions.
Sullivan, who is studying Kansans who receive Medicaid home and community-based services, said the politicization of COVID-19 has also caused anxiety over personal relationships and differences of opinions over mask mandates and vaccines.
While some are able to cope by using social media, others don’t have access to the internet or don’t know how to use technology to be able to connect with others, she said.
Oftentimes, care providers are the only people whom this population sees on a regular basis. This workforce is largely underpaid and understaffed, leading to them feeling undervalued, Sullivan said.
Lori Smith of Personal Home Care by Lori said she’s felt appreciated by the community for the work she does, but she knows this is not the case for all caregivers. Smith thinks her more positive experience is due to the small-town atmosphere in Eudora.
She’s provided care and help to many Eudora senior citizens for about a year. About 80% of her clients are seniors.
Smith builds strong relationships with her clients and recognizes she may be the only person her clients socially connect with.
“I think I bring out the best in them,” Smith said. “They’re excited to see me. They believe in me.”
“This really is a public health issue”
It is important to have an open and honest conversation if you feel isolated or depressed, DuBoise of AARP said.
The CDC reports there can be health risks for loneliness, including increased risk for dementia, heart disease and stroke.
“I think some of the seniors should speak up,” DuBoise said. “It may not get all the attention it deserves, but this really is a public health issue for us.”
AARP’s website offers resources for seniors who are looking for ways to connect with others, sharpen brain health or take a quiz to see how isolated they are feeling. Additional resources are available at https://states.aarp.org/kansas/
See our related story about the opportunities available through the Senior Resource Center here.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]