Have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam? Traveling on the road, either for work or vacation, and slowly you start seeing the red tail lights of the cars in front of you. Then, traffic comes to a complete stop. You might have to wait 15 minutes, an hour, or longer. It depends on the accident in front of you.

While you are waiting, you might see a police car or two attempting to pass on the shoulder of the road. There might be a tow truck, an ambulance, and a fire truck that go by. The more of these vehicles you see, the worse the accident ahead. It also means you might be stuck, unable to move, for longer than you thought.

Traffic Jam Continues, Like the Quarantine

A traffic jam seems to be an adequate metaphor for the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. Everyone was going along, until things started slowing down. Before we knew it, we were stopped. We could not see anything ahead, but had a realistic idea of the problem before us. All we can do is wait until we get the all-clear sign. In traffic jams, when the cars in front of you move, you can move. You can only go as fast as the vehicles in front of you.

Right now, we are seeing some movement in our collective traffic jam. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently provided an emergency use authorization to a COVID-19 vaccine. With the first doses to be administered in the near future, it seems we are on a path to slowly moving forward on getting past the quarantine.

Signs of Hope Ahead?

With a traffic jam, you know you are in the clear when you can move at posted speed. With everything that has happened with the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine, how will we know we are in the clear?

There are direct care workers and hospital personnel who continue to work long hours. Also, there are people who are without jobs or are underemployed. To make matters worse, there are people in long term care who are lonely, isolated, and have lost loved ones. Simply ending the quarantine may alleviate some of the challenges. It will not address the pain and suffering, the sacrifices, and the trauma caused. To do that, we need to examine how we got here. Also, we need to look at policies and procedures for dealing with this kind of crisis. Most of all, we need to support direct care workers with a living wage and education to support them as they care for older adults.

Kathy Dreyer, Ph.D., is an Advisor at AGE-u-cate® Training Institute, which develops and delivers innovative research-based aging and dementia training programs such as Dementia Live® and Compassionate Touch®, for professional and family caregivers; kathy.dreyer@ageucate.com

It happened every year during the holiday season. My classmates and I would dress up in our coats, hats, and gloves, with gifts in hand. We would walk down the street to the nearby nursing home. When we arrived, we were put into a room with residents and staff members.

In that room, we sang songs and handed out our gifts. Mainly, we had bananas, lotion, and socks. It was somewhat terrifying at first, to see people who were in various states of alertness. Some residents were either happy, silent, or appeared angry.

How Are We Now?

It’s been a few years since I went with my classmates to visit that nursing home. In the time since then, I have had two close family members live out their remaining years in a long-term care community. I have also worked with older adults in all phases of activity and health levels.

In that time, I have come to believe and know that all older adults are not the same. As a matter of fact, we become less alike as we age, due to life experiences. We have different strengths, abilities, and interests.

The COVID-19 Policies and Effects

The effects of COVID-19 go beyond social distancing and social isolation. In the policies and procedures to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, nursing home residents have been quarantined. Isolating older adults in long term care may keep them protected, but not necessarily healthier. It may be seen as needing to keep older adults isolated and hidden away.

Without having a realistic perspective on aging, it might seem perfectly fine to isolate older adults, with the same treatment for all. The alternative of not implementing safety measures likely seems worse. We should work on remembering and honoring older adults, having a realistic view of their needs, and addressing those needs. Safety should not come at the expense of mental health.

Giving the Gift of Caring

Long term care workers have been working to care for their residents. They have been implementing the COVID-19 protection procedures and policies. They continue to do their best despite seeing the effects. Even when I was visiting residents as part of a class project years ago, it was obvious the direct care workers were caring and supportive. We gave them gifts but the workers helped add life to their days. The workers in long term care these days continue to do that. Let us continue to support both long term care residents and direct care workers as we endure this COVID-19 pandemic.

Kathy Dreyer, Ph.D., is an Advisor at AGE-u-cate® Training Institute, which develops and delivers innovative research-based aging and dementia training programs such as Dementia Live® and Compassionate Touch®, for professional and family caregivers; kathy.dreyer@ageucate.com