Effects of Pandemic on Dementia Patients, with Angelia Brigance
COVID-19 has affected dementia patients, with their symptoms being mildly more pronounced from the disruptions to their daily routines, as they’re no longer participating in daily activities and coming to meals three times a day. They don’t understand why they can’t hug their family members, or have to talk to them through glass Even those with dementia at home are dealing with this: Facial expression is a huge component of communication, and mask wearing blocks that and contributes to fearful feelings. Angelia Brigance described things people can do in the community to help interact with seniors. Angelia is executive director of Harbour Pointe Senior Living and author of “Finding Rose,” about how to support a loved one through dementia.
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*The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.
The following is a podcast from a qualified senior care provider, hurt, on the answers for elders radio show, and welcome to everyone. Back to answers for elders radio and we have a very special guest that has been with us before, one of my favorite people in the world, who’s also having a birthday today, by the way. Happy Birthday, Angelo, bring can, executive director of Harbor Point Senior Living, and Angela welcome back. Thank you. I also know you as an amazing author and expert in Alzheimer’s and dementia and certainly having your one year anniversary of your book being released this week as well, called finding rose, and it’s really educating families about, you know, how to support a loved one through this processes, and obviously there’s so many families today in the state of Washington that are trying to support their loved ones. Yes, they are. There’s it’s an outpouring of loves to all the residents in our communities right now. It really is, and and certainly right now with covid nineteen, we’ve talked a little bit about those that have dementia of how they’re coping with this, because they don’t necessarily understand, do they, about the pandemic now? They forget about it every day and we remind them though us who are in the assisted living area that have mild dementia. One of the things we’ve noticed is their dementia is a little more pronounced that it was prior to it because they’re daily roudeep and interrupted. They’re no longer the meal three times a day and they have the activity. They know it’s right after breakfast and that daily routine disruption has caused them to have a mild change in their cognition, some a little more than others, and something that we have to work on every day is getting them into a different routine right now so that right can be the best they could be and find ways for them to stay connected with their family and loved one. They don’t understand. Why do we have to talk to by my daughter to glass. I can’t say come in, I can’t I hug them. It’s a yeah and battle to keep them understanding and to help them with their own frustrations and anchor about that right and obviously for families out there. We have a lot of families that have a senior loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s that may still be living at home, but they may be living with that loved one or looking in on that loved one with maybe home care and things like that. So what if some advice that you have some fit for some families right now that are doing with that, with the change, because human they’re dealing with the different reality. Oh always you, even those at home, are dealing with this because it is changing their routine too. Even if you were at home with dementia, you would go out and do different things and you may not understand why. You know why it’s the grocery store look different. And why does he ask on their faces because her of one of the biggest part of communication with someone with dementia is facial expression, because words are only seven percent of language. Facial expressions how them? Are you happy? Are you sad, are you bad? Right, going on, and they don’t get that when someone’s wearing a math and we’re doing that to presure we’re doing that to protect them, but it’s a mystic a lack of understanding of all that that can cost them additional confusion or a little bit of paranoia that set in because you know how you are. People were not good. You know, you are so right. I remember when I was taking care of my mother. This was not about it to pandemic, but the whole mass thing. My mother contracted Mersa from a care community and Merca. Of course you have to go in the hospitals, you have to they have to pump heavy duty antibiotics into you to get rid of it, and everybody had to gown up to come see her right and I remember she had a little bit of dementia, but nobody took the time to really sit down and talk to her. And so she said, quote unquote, we don’t us and who we know that, because again she would forget, you know, the next day than anybody talked to her about it. So it’s, like you said, the reminding process. But that fear factor of everybody gowning up was overwhelming to her and I remember that, lad. There was that, there was that feeling of why are people doing this, like, what’s wrong with me, and why why are you not telling me on? Those are the kind of things I do remember about that piece. That is significant and you know, we certainly is a society right now. I I can’t believe I forgot about that till just now, till you reminded me of that. It’s a hard piece. My mom has commentas you know, finding roses based on a little bit about my mom and our own PA Bencha, and when I call it she’s like, well, no one come to see me lately. Like, you’re right, mom, no one has. There’s a virus out there that’s very contagious and dangerous and you are, you know, health compromised. So they can’t come through her be gay right now. They’re trying to take care of themselves. And she’s like Oh right, okay, right, reminder every time I talk to her, because there’s a confusion. Grandkids used to come over, you know, they my kids used to come over, my grandkids used to come over. These people came up. Where are they right now? And why can’t I go to church? Because my mom never miss a Sunday service, that you know. So there’s a lot of confusion for those people at home as well as all those who live in community and and certainly that is a consideration. So we are talking to Angela brigance. Angela is the Executive Director of Harbor Point Senior Living and published author of finding rows, which is available on Amazon and for its anniver three it’s on sale right now to so they’ll be able to get it at great price. Oh, that’s awesome. So, Angela, I am glad you’re with us because what I would love to do is talk to you a little bit about in the community. There’s some things that people could do right now as far as understanding this piece and helping family members. What are some tips that you can give us in the last, you know, five minutes of the program of how can families really interact help, you know, interact with seniors that are still at home and might have some here for for us, what we’ve done are, you know, our families. We invite them to come. We at one window that is set up with a chair on one side and chairs on the other side. What they can come and visit and we call it glass time. So they’re talking to the glass, to one another and having those conversations or, you know, sharing information the residence up come to our different door. Every day. We’re answering the door probably fifty, seventy times a day for families who are dropping on it and snacks and anything that they can to let their loved one know that they’re still here sending car we have volunteers who are in the community who are writing letters from our residents. You know, I love to brighten your day, even children started by wasn’t that started by emily? Emily did did it get a bunch for us or it’s doing some right now for us? And then we’ve had some people from the local high school and local colleges who are doing it too. I love that and you know, a lot of not. Now kids are being asked to do things, getting it all like real life lessons, you know, life lessons with their room homeschooling. One of the things that I think is really powerful is, you know, maybe there’s a pain pal that that your child, somebody’s child, could find somebody. And how would they go about doing that? Let’s say, finding a senior in their community. We talked a little bit about in our last segment about the next door APP, which is where I learned about what emily is doing. Isn’t possible for dam families to call like senior living communities in their neighborhoods to find out if there might be a senior that might want to penpal with a child? Absolutely, and if you just call any front desk at any community close to you, they’ll probably connect you with their activity. We call it vibrant life, but their activity person who will help connect them with the right person. The letters were receiving right now or more general and we even have a group of children who are drawing pictures for our resident and love and they send us pictures. Once a week they send four or five different pictures with poems on them and riddles on them that we copy off and we send it to every give it to everybody when we’re delivery meals. So it’s one of the many activities. Is even happy hour still continues in every building. I think across the country. We just do it down home. Now bingos are done downfall. We did we did a huge mother’s Day parade, so everybody went by in cars and decorated and some people came in costumes and had a wonderful day. There are so many ways that we can connect. Musicians who want to sit in a parking lot and play music, everybody will come out to the balcony. So open their windows, you will get up, you will get an audience that will be appreciative more than any you’ve ever had. If you’re a musician and to come out and sit in a parking lot for an hour and play music or twenty minutes, whatever they can get time for. It was greatly appreciated by anyone you know. And Antulie, you say that and I love that. I had somebody that on the next door APP, which we talked about in the previous segment, posted a picture of a lawn chair out on a patio or and driveway and she said coming to a social distance driveway near you. Do you want company? I will come and let’s set a time so that I can spend an hour and we can talk socially distance, and I think that’s really what’s important, is to reach out to some seniors that you meet not and if you don’t know of a senior in your neighborhood, certainly there’s ways in which you can find them. I’m sure also your church community will know of seniors that are alone as well, and that could be an amazing resource, could it not? Angela? Oh, absolutely, that’s a great way, another right way to connect with a group at a home and isolated. Maybe they don’t have children, maybe there’s no family in the area and they are truly alone. And can use that connection or something dropped off on their fork, home cooked meal, if they’re at home right that they can have something special, because going to the grocery store its tough and it’s hard, yes, and it’s scary right now. It is. It’s scary and at the same time it’s like it’s time to get creative and certainly, you know, you guys are doing some amazing creative things. That and just being a little bit mindful that you could take an afternoon and go, you know, Park your a lawn chair and a nice day on a driveway. You might look down the street. Of there might be people that are alone, that never come out of their home. I know that there’s a gentleman that lives not too far from me that’s in a wheelchair and certainly he’s having some challenges. And you know, we can all get creative as a neighborhood and by coming together. That’s it’s a great way in which we can do that. And and so, Angela, I know that I would love have you talk a little bit about in our next segment about what is the senior living industry projecting out? You know, there’s a lot of wondering if they’re going to get out at all this summer, if they’re going to be able to visit their loved one? What what the you know longer term picture, and you’re certainly in the know, and would you be willing to come back and talk a little bit about that in our next segment? Yes, I would. I’d be happy to. All right, so everyone, Angela will be right back right after this answers for elders radio show with Susan Newman. Hopes you found this podcast useful in your journey of navigating senior care. Check out more podcast like this to help you find qualified senior care experts and areas of financial, legal, health and wellness and living options. 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Originally published May 24, 2020