Tag Archives: covid

February 12, 2022 · 2:11 pm

Being less active during pandemic may have health consequences

The pandemic’s impact on health goes beyond those who contracted the coronavirus. Even those who managed to avoid the infection may have suffered consequences to their health, and in an area that many take for granted.

In December, I fell while walking my dog. I slipped going down a moderate slope in the park and landed straight on my rump. The fall knocked the wind out of me for a minute, but I was fortunate not to break or sprain anything. My back was very sore and remained so for about a week. I treated it using over-the-counter pain medication and homeopathic balms. My mobility was limited and I was forced to slow down and take it easy, but fortunately I fully recovered and don’t have any lingering issues.

I’m in my late 40s and in decent health. This was a minor fall, but it reminds me that as I get older, recovery from such incidents takes longer. We often take our mobility for granted, but the pandemic may have a lingering impact on our physical conditioning, making us more prone to falls. Studies suggest that some older adults have experienced a decrease in mobility during the pandemic, The New York Times reported.

Those who now work from home full-time may be moving less than when they went into the office, even if they drove to work. Pandemic restrictions may have shut parks, gyms, malls, and other outlets that older people used to exercise. Depression and anxiety can dampen the desire to exercise. Those who did contract COVID-19 may have battled lingering symptoms that made exercise difficult. And those who received benefits from physical and occupational therapy may have not been able to receive those services during the pandemic.

What geriatric health experts are concerned about is that decreased activity levels may result in worse physical functioning, which is key to older adults’ ability to live independently. A fall can lead to a lengthy recovery and trigger a fear of falling again, creating a vicious cycle with significant health consequences. The good news is that we can engage in simple activities that will help us reverse the impacts of our sedentary lifestyle and regain our mobility. Walking, yoga, and tai chi are all great ways to get moving and improve physical functioning.

Take inventory of your mobility and your elder loved ones and make an action plan if you desire to increase your mobility. Taking small steps now can make all the difference in keeping ourselves and our elder loved ones living independently.

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May 8, 2021 · 12:38 pm

This Mother’s Day, reach out to those who are grieving

My mother’s last Mother’s Day in 2015.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left thousands of Americans motherless this year. One model shared in a study published in JAMA Pediatrics suggested the number of children who lost a parent due to the pandemic could be as high as 40,000, a staggering amount in just a year’s time span. On the other end of the spectrum, adult children grieve their elder mothers who died during the pandemic, some who must grapple with the extra pain of not being able to properly say goodbye.

Having lost both of my parents, I do find that Mother’s Day is harder for me emotionally than Father’s Day. I believe this is because my mother died in the month of May, just a couple of weeks after the holiday. My last memories of her before she became bedridden was reading her Mother’s Day card and admiring the fresh flowers I bought for her. Even though this year will mark six years since her passing, those bittersweet memories are still the first to surface when I’m reminded of Mother’s Day via the endless online ads and TV commercials.

I found this essay by Carol Smith on grief and the myth of closure to be compelling and moving.

For those whose mothers are still alive and perhaps will be seeing in-person for the first time in months due to the pandemic restrictions, I am so thrilled for you and I hope you have a wonderful reunion. We know now more than ever that each moment with loved ones is precious.

If you have a friend who may be grieving the loss of their mother, reach out and offer support in whatever way is meaningful to them. It can be a lonely holiday for those whose mothers are no longer alive, and acknowledgment from caring souls can mean so much.

In honor of Mother’s Day, AlzAuthors is offering free Kindle copies of our first anthology Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiving Stories: 58 Authors Share Their Inspiring Personal Experiences.

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May 2, 2021 · 12:31 pm

A time of bittersweet reunions

May has arrived, and with it, a swirl of varied emotions. The world is beginning to open back up, which of course is a good thing. Now that I’m vaccinated against COVID-19, I’m also beginning to venture back out. There’s a strange mix of novelty in doing the most mundane of tasks, but humans are resilient and adaptable and a “new normal” will be established.

There is hope in the air, but May is also a month of loss for me. It will be six years since my mother died, and my beloved cat Nod crossed the Rainbow Bridge last May. Watching the Kentucky Derby yesterday made me think of my mother. Watching the race was the last happy moment we had together.

Many families are experiencing bittersweet reunions with their loved ones who have been isolated in nursing homes during the pandemic. Of course they are thrilled to visit their family members in person, and some can now hug and hold hands with their loved ones. But the toll the past year has taken cannot be denied. This moving New York Times photo essay captures the raw mix of emotions sparked during these long-awaited reunions.

Best wishes to those of you reuniting with your loved ones. If we’ve learned anything over this last year, it’s how precious those moments are and how we can never take them for granted again.

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February 5, 2021 · 7:26 pm

Rural areas finds winning formula for vaccine distribution

Photo by Artem Podrez on Pexels.com

I spend quite a bit of time on this blog discussing the challenges of delivering health care, and in particular, elder care, in rural regions of America. But I want to highlight a recent success story: West Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination system.

West Virginia, one of the country’s poorest states and ravaged by the opioid epidemic, seems an unlikely source when it comes to innovations in health care. As of this week, 11 percent of West Virginia’s population has received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In comparison, wealthier states such as Massachusetts and California have only vaccinated 7 percent of their populations. Of course population size has an impact, but considering the bumpy rollout of the vaccine nationally, it’s a fairly impressive feat.

What is the key to West Virginia’s success? Simplicity. The state has opted to manage their vaccine program closely at the state level, instead of delegating the entire complex process to county or city governments like many other states. Vaccine supply is distributed to five hospitals in different areas of the state, which then distribute it to local agencies and medical centers familiar with administering other vaccination programs such as the flu vaccine. They’ve also leaned on the state’s National Guard forces for their logistical expertise.

The centralized approach avoids some of the complications that can arise even with well-meaning collaborations from outside agencies. For example, West Virginia was the only state to opt out of a federal partnership with pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS that assisted states in getting nursing home residents and workers vaccinated. West Virginia instead utilized the local pharmacies throughout their state and were able to complete the process before many states had even began, according to The Washington Post.

West Virginia isn’t the only success story. Rural communities in other states also have shared their vaccination success stories, many using old school tools like the phone and word of mouth to reach out to residents directly. There is often a collaborative effort in small towns, where everyone from the public health officials to firefighters and librarians willing to jump in and do their part, Reuters reported.

The vaccination effort is leading to a decline in nursing home coronavirus cases, according to health officials.

It’s a good thing these rural communities have found a way to get a jump start on vaccinating their residents, as the lack of medical care resources means those who develop coronavirus may not get the specialized treatment they need in time or have to be moved far out of the area. There is also an increasing worry that issues with vaccination supply may mean rural areas have to wait longer for additional supplies, while urban and suburban areas catch up.

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October 16, 2020 · 5:35 pm

Dementia Caregiving and COVID — When Dementia Knocks

 

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As we face another potential wave of coronavirus cases this fall and winter, this post by Elaine M. Eshbaugh, PhD, on When Dementia Knocks addresses the challenges of caregiving during this unprecedented time with compassion and humility. None of us have all of the answers and we cannot beat ourselves up for making mistakes.  

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I haven’t given COVID as much attention in my blog as it deserves. I’ve started many posts and abandoned them because they felt inadequate. To be fair, I have gotten a bit of hate the few times I’ve written posts about COVID. Examples: I thought you were smarter than this. COVID isn’t any worse than […]

Dementia Caregiving and COVID — When Dementia Knocks

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