Craig Fossay, Owner ComForCare North York
June 8, 2020

The COVID-19 virus has had many adverse consequences.  One group that has been hit particularly hard in Toronto is seniors.  The penetration of the disease in the overall population remains relatively low, but the impact of less interaction with others is very high—especially on seniors.

Social distancing restrictions were formally implemented by healthcare officials  about three months ago, with only essential services available.  While the economy is starting to open up, people have been urged to stay safe by socially distancing.  This is vital to flatten the curve of growth, and preserve capacity in our hospitals.  The behavioral adoption of social distancing however is resulting in many isolated and lonely seniors.  Most people are restricting close interaction to their nuclear family, cocooning under the same roof.  We see that neighbours, friends, and family that were once frequent visitors to our clients, are no longer willing to undertake what is a high risk behavior for the sake of their loved one.  The culture associated with being “locked down” means many elderly people have very limited social stimulation.  Not all seniors understand the need for social isolation, and some are even feeling shunned.

Activities that once served as a social outlet, such as going to Tim Hortons for coffee, a place of worship, or a seniors’ centre, are no longer available.  With fewer options to socialize, we are seeing an epidemic of loneliness, anxiety, and depression.  The most at-risk group seems to be seniors over 80 years of age.

Our elderly home care clients include 24-hour cases, 12-hour cases, as well as many that are less frequent.  Clients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease often require near constant care, and this need has been shifted, in many cases, to an elderly spouse, or other family member.  In turn, primary caregivers are getting burnt out, with the lack of community activities, options for respite, and growing concerns over COVID-19.

The physical and mental health benefits of social interaction are well established.  The lack of social interaction can lead to negative consequences, such as increased blood pressure, heightened cortisol levels, disrupted sleep patterns, anxiety and depression. Luckily, many organizations still offer useful activities and tools to help caregivers battle isolation and loneliness.  The Alzheimer’s Society has some helpful online resources for families. 

Some seniors are tech savvy, but many are not.  The penetration of online meetings using Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Hangouts is ubiquitous amongst baby boomers and younger generations, but we find that many of our elderly clients are reluctant to use these tools, or simply can’t manage to navigate them on their own.  Some still don’t have Wi-Fi in their homes, or access to a  smartphone with available data.

For families that can afford daily private care, the nurses and Personal Support Workers (PSW) that we employ are an invaluable constant in the lives of our clients. They help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation with genuine social interaction and consistent quality homecare — our tech-savvy PSWs will also assist our clients and families with FaceTiming Grandma!

We recommend routine phone calls with family and friends for those with barriers to a video type meeting.  For those who are able, getting outside for a walk, doing some gardening, and engaging with their community from home via the telephone are all cathartic activities.  We have a couple of clients that have volunteered to make phone calls—one for their church, another for a political party.

Fortunately, our  community is stepping up to this challenge.  We are working with Hand Over Hand Network (H2O), a Markham-based not-for-profit community organization.  Its mission is to increase the social inclusion of seniors by fostering interactions.  They have a team of young volunteers (mostly University students) that they will match with a senior to provide regular telephone or video visits.  Services are offered in six different languages.  Services like these are an invaluable support to overcome isolation and loneliness by seniors in these challenging times.