‘Be prepared for the changes you might see’: Social isolation impacts care home residents in Barrie

Donald Carty has definitely noticed a difference in his mother since she’s been isolated in a Barrie long-term care home.

Carty’s mom Viola lives with dementia and although he has visited her in-person before, he’s now been able to spend time with her in her room.

But he was surprised with his experience.

“I was elated when I was first able to see my mom (during an outdoor visit in the summer). I didn’t have that same feeling when I went to her room,” Carty said.

The first thing he noticed is she’s lost weight.

And the general vibe in the home wasn’t the same.

“When I went to the home, it was very quiet, it doesn’t seem to have the same energy it would have normally,” he said. “They seem to be more depressed. That was how I felt when I first walked on the floor.”

There might still be entertainment at most long-term care homes, Carty said, but not the same amount of one-on-one stimulation that helps someone with dementia.

“For example, I’m now able to touch my mom. That’s a therapeutic touch. I’m able to rub her hands, arms, legs and feet, or comb her hair. And my mom responded immediately.”

He’s also going to be bringing in puzzles for her to do to maintain cognitive function.

But not everyone has that option.

Collingwood’s Wilhelmina De Groot was nervous for her first visit in the same room as her husband Pieter Oct. 20.

He moved into a long-term care home last November and De Groot used to visit three or four times a week prior to the pandemic. The couple just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary June 14, and that was done outdoors.

“For me, (this in-person visit) was very emotional, I didn’t realize how emotional it would be,” De Groot said. “I was so nervous and I’m not that kind of person. It lasted through the night as well. I felt sad and tense.”

Wearing gloves and a mask, all she was able to do was sit across the table from her husband for the half-hour visit.

“You cannot touch. I came in the door and Piet came in the other side and said hi.”

They talked and sang Dutch songs together, like they usually do.

“We had a Zoom meeting for his birthday Oct. 15 and I asked him if he remembered it,” De Groot said. “I could see on his face he didn’t. It was almost like he was going to cry.”

According to a 2014 report by the , social isolation affects the psychological and cognitive health of seniors, and is associated with higher levels of depression and suicide.

It found 44 per cent of seniors in residential care were diagnosed with depression or showed symptoms of depression.

And half of the people over the age of 80 reported feeling lonely, with men over the age of 80 having the highest suicide rate of all age groups.

And that’s not even during a pandemic.

“I think it is a complicated issue,” Alzheimer Society of Simcoe County manager of education and support programs Laura-Lynn Bourassa said. “When we talk about confinement, that’s an extreme.

“But as a result of COVID and the restrictions on visiting, that does impact what activities long-term care residents can do.”

Social interaction is usually a part of treatment for dementia, because it does play a role in overall brain health, she said.

“There is an impact in the changes family members are seeing with their loved ones, but you have to marry it with the progression of the disease,” she said.

A long-term care home contacted Bourassa this month for ways to prepare families for the decline they may see in their loved ones.

“Be forewarned when you’re going for a visit again, the person might not be functioning as they were.”

There could be more challenges with comprehension and what they see.

She said some families are distraught at having limited access to their loved one, especially when wearing protective equipment.

“The key is to help families prepare for this and adjust, so it’s not so much of a shock. Just be prepared for the changes you might see.”

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: After speaking with someone who works at a long-term care home, reporter Janis Ramsay dug further to see if seniors with dementia are progressing further into cognitive complications as a result of the pandemic isolation.