Senior Living Today

Social Connection > Isolation (and the Role of Senior Living)

• The Ohio Masonic Communities • Season 4 • Episode 6

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Social connection is important at every age. But there are especially benefits for older adults. Yet older adults are more at risk for isolation. They’re more likely to not only experience the effects of isolation, but to experience them differently. We’re discussing how to recognize the signs of isolation and depression in older adults and how to combat them with social connection. Plus, we’re talking about the mutual benefits of intergenerational connections and how senior living can help older adults stay connected. 

<i>(music)</i> Hi everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Senior Living Today. With me today is Brooke Simonson, the Central Ohio Community Outreach Coordinator with the Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center, and Stacey Walters, life enrichment director for Springfield Masonic Communities. Ladies, thank you both for joining me today. So before we get started, would you mind telling our listeners a little bit about yourself and how you got started in your careers? So my name is Brooke Simonson and I am an LISWS. That stands for a licensed independent social worker. I got started in social work right out of college, with my bachelor's degree, and did some work in various fields, and then decided to go back and get my master's in my 30s from the Ohio State University. So I received my master's in social work from there around 2015, 2016. And I've been doing mental health therapy counseling with families and individuals ever since in various capacities. So my name is Stacey Walters. I'm the director of life enrichment here at the Springfield Masonic Community. I have a long career here. I've been here almost 18 years. Started out in the nursing department. I got involved with the activities department and found my purpose in life with them. Got activity director certified, certified dementia practitioner. I just absolutely love working with the residents and letting them have a great day. Well, we're excited to have both of you with us today, and we're going to be discussing the importance of socialization for older adults. So the National Council on Aging states that social isolation and loneliness negatively affects the mental and physical health of older adults. In both of your work with older adults what are some of the negative effects of isolation that you've seen? I've seen a lot of people who don't want to come out of their room, don't want to get out of bed. They feel like they don't have a purpose for living anymore, that their families just left them. That's where we kind of have to swoop in and find a good purpose for their day. On the mental health end of things I see a lot of depression and anxiety linked to isolation. So it seems to me that it causes a lot of things for their cognitive decline. You see people when they're isolated, I feel like we see an increase in depression symptoms, and that can look very different in older adults. Sometimes that looks like irritability and anger and other times that looks like a loss of interest in things they once enjoyed, or isolating in their rooms like Stacey mentioned. So we just see various things happening across the spectrum there. And there are several factors, specifically in older adults that increase or can lead to social isolation. Would you mind sharing what some of those factors are with our listeners and what maybe they should be aware of with their older loved ones? Yeah, I think, you know, one of the biggest things that I notice is when when an older adult loses, you know, the ability to drive a car. That's a, that's a huge one. Not having their home anymore and all of their things and, you know, kind of being isolated to one room, you know, and family comes to visit and then they leave, you know, I, you know, it can be a heartbreaking road for them. At the Resource Center, we see one of the biggest causes of isolation is loss of loved ones. As people get older, they lose their spouse. They lose friends. And it just seems that the social circle gets smaller and smaller and kind of closes in on them. So it seems that it definitely contributes to isolation. I would also agree with Stacey on some of those things. Lack of transportation, chronic illness, disability, all the things that kind of increase as we get older also contribute to that. So we see that at the Resource Center. I see it on campus for sure. And we know that socialization for older adults has a multitude of both mental and emotional benefits. Can you go over what some of those benefits are with our listeners, or any benefits that you have observed with your work with older adults in our communities? Yeah. You know, definitely also to mention, you know, losing sight and hearing, you know, you really have to, to find out what is limiting that person. You know, you might have someone who can't, you know, come out and describe the fact that they can't hear you very well. So just really focusing on making sure that they're in a good place before you start all of their person centered care and activities. Just getting them up and out of the room is very important here. You know, I know on our campus also, you know, if you have a loved one come in to visit you, it's hard sometimes because you have nothing to offer them. But like our campus, I was just talking earlier with another group of people, you know, with our restaurants here and our destinations, places to go, it's great that instead of taking your loved one out to dinner, you know they can take you. Those are good points. I also think the biggest antidote to depression and isolation is connection. So I always, and I'm doting and telling people, really put yourself out there. Don't be afraid to step outside your box. Leave your door open. Invite people in. Don't be afraid to not eat dinner in your room. Go down to the cafeteria and sit with someone new. So there's various things that we can do to increase those connections, and it can be on or off campus. In the community I've seen people who have lost their spouse and they're all of a sudden alone. And I encourage them to maybe reconnect at church or to go over and have coffee with a neighbor. It can be really simple things, but it, I also ask them to pay attention to how that makes them feel. Because we don't, we just go along life and we're isolated, but then once we start connecting again, you do feel better. And if you're paying attention to that you can see how that affects you and and how that positively makes things a little more positive in your life and in that direction. Also, when we have a new resident move into our campus I love to sit down with them and really ask them what do you like to do? What are your hobbies? What can you contribute? Well, you know, there's lots of areas on campus where they could come and teach a class; woodworking or art or sewing or anything like that, that they, they're still actually, you know, contributing all of their knowledge to other people. Absolutely. And, Brooke, I'm glad you touched on some of those ways that we can combat isolation when not living at a senior living community, but I know it can be a little bit more difficult at times. You know, socialization doesn't happen all on its own. So moving to a senior living community can be a great way for older adults to surround themselves with others who have similar interests, and can really help combat that isolation that can happen as we age. So as a family member or a potential resident, what questions would you ask when looking for a senior living community? Well, of course, as an activities director, I'd want to know about all the fun activities that are going on. Of course! And also the fact, you know, are there off campus trips, are there off campus outings? What can you contribute to my loved one's life? Also, you know, you just want to walk around the place and get a get a feel for it and you’ll know. I agree the energy speaks for itself. And I think staff is important. Like what types of staff do they have? What kind of support staff do they have? Those kinds of questions are good too. So, Stacey, you touched on the life enrichment programing aspect of a senior living community. And I think this is such a great piece of the programing that comes along with moving to a community, because residents can really get together with others who have similar interests. They can socialize really as much or as little as they like to each day. What are some of your favorite activities that residents participate in at Springfield Masonic Community? Well, I love the entertainment. I love having bands out. We just had a ten piece orchestra out. I love partnering with a lot of community groups; Springfield Civic Theater, the Art Museum, even the Girl Scouts. You know, having lots of pet therapy programing going on. Pet therapy is a big thing here on campus. Not only do we have different groups coming in and bringing their animals, I mean, we've been known to to diaper up chickens and goats and walk the halls with them, but we are also a pet friendly campus, so you can just catch residents walking around with their animals, letting everybody pet them and play with them. So I think having the animals out here monthly, if sometimes more often than monthly, is wonderful. And our Trunk or Treat event is absolutely wonderful. So our staff members will park their cars so that even residents that, you know, do not drive anymore can come out and sit in front of a car. We had this open just to staff, residents, and their family members. And I probably counted over 240 kids before I even went inside to start the games. So it's events like that that brings everybody out. Family members, residents, everybody decorates their trunk. All the candy is donated, which is awesome. But Trunk or Treat, and you know, the special holiday celebrations are just awesome out here. The pastoral care here on campus is very important. We do church services every Sunday that are non-denominational. We've got large exercise classes. You can also get with our physical wellness coordinator and do one-on-one exercise classes. There's just lots going on on the campus that you can choose to be a part of or not. Like I said earlier, there's lots of dining options also, so you can get together with all of your friends and family, hit those restaurants without having to leave the campus. We've got an art room, a woodworking room, a sewing room. So we've got lots of people who contribute things that they do well in those rooms and do classes for those. You know, the campus is very large. We've got lots of different spaces for different activities. I know the library is always a destination here where you can go and reflect and catch someone playing on the piano randomly. So it's just a, it's a wonderful campus with lots of things to do. And really, you know, we get together every month and we do our calendars together. So what's on the calendar is what they are asking for. So one of the ways we've been able to, through the Resource Center, to connect residents and outside community members to combat isolation is pairing up some of our Masonic volunteers and a resident in need. And recently I had a resident who was hearing impaired and having a lot of trouble connecting with others outside of his room, and we were able to contact a Masonic volunteer through our Masonic Resource Center who is also hearing impaired and get them together. And they have been doing American Sign Language lessons and different things to be able to give that resident the tools he needs to step outside of his room and connect with others. And it's been a really great success story at the Resource Center to watch that happen. Another story that comes to mind through the Resource Center was a resident reached out and said that she was very lonely and just feeling very isolated. And I shared that story with the other coordinators, and we were able to take one resident from one of our campuses up north and pair it with our resident in Springfield and they are Pen Pals. And they write each other or they text sometimes or they send emails. And it's really helped those two residents be able to find connection even in distance, even when geographically they're not close, but they've been able to start writing each other. So that was, another good story that I can think of that happened at the Resource Center. That connection was a key to that success. Well, thank you for sharing those. I think those stories are a great example of the power of connectivity and socialization and the impact that that can have on our older senior population. You know, I love the fact that this campus is so family friendly. So, you know, community members can have all their grandchildren. Their children have large, you know, gatherings out here at all of the things we do because every, you know, musical program, every event that we put on, you know, we always invite everyone. And it's great to see everybody's grandchildren running around and having a good time, and that so many events take place on the campus so that they don't have to take their loved one, you know, off campus for everything. Another thing we could talk about too, Stacey, is we have started doing intergenerational camp. Oh, yeah. At all three campuses, you know, we do it all three. And in Springfield was our first year last year. And one of the greatest things is that it fosters connection between the generations intergenerational camps. So we take residents and kids from our community and we pair them and we do different activities. We eat and just spend the day together and watch those different generations interact. And it's been a really cool addition to our summer programing. And and Stacey's been a big part of that in being able to bring those residents and kids from our community together on a day and just have fun and share stories and community. It's been a good, a good thing for connection. And, you know, Brooke, I already have children coming up to me asking me when that intergenerational camp is. I've already got a waitlist. So it was a very wonderful event and I look forward to it every year now. Yeah. It's exciting. Bridges the gaps, for sure. I think that's amazing. So I know we've covered a lot of information today regarding isolation and the benefits of socialization for older adults. But as we wrap up, what is one last thought or piece of advice that you'd like to share with our listeners regarding socialization for seniors? Don't be afraid to reach out. If you're unsure of what to do or how to connect on campus or in the community don't be afraid to reach out to a coordinator or the activities department on campus and find out how you can get involved and offer your ideas. And don't be afraid to to try new things. I think trying new things can be really good. Even we get set in our ways as we get older sometimes. I know I do. And I think when we start stepping outside those boxes and trying new things that can really open some avenues. So that would be my suggestion. Mine would be just to give it a shot. Try it. You might like it. You know, there's nothing more gratifying, you know, within walking into happy hour and just seeing a crowd in a room full of people laughing, enjoying themselves and praising where they live. So, you know, get out there and try. That's all you can do. Well, I think that's great advice from both of you. It was such a pleasure having you join us today. Thank you. Just for informing our listeners on the importance of socialization for older adults and the opportunities that they could have if they moved to a senior living community. For our listeners, as always, be sure to like and subscribe to the Senior Living Today podcast so that you never miss a new episode. And we will be back again in two weeks.<i>(music)</i>

People on this episode

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Alexandria Rohrbaugh

Host
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Brooke Simonson, LISW-S

Guest
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Stacey Walters

Guest