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The delta COVID-19 variant seems to be ushering in an understandable second round of pandemic-induced anxiety. Aging Services providers, and those that serve them, are still traumatized from the first go-around. Enough time has not passed to allow for a psychological re-set to cope with a do-over. So, what are we to do?
Alan Packer said, “We can do hard things—it’s the impossible that takes a little longer.” Well, we have been doing hard things for quite a while now. In fact, it seems that we are in the ‘impossible’ phase now. Truly, I believe we have been working on accomplishing the “impossible” for quite some time now, aided by resilience.
Far too often I talk to family caregivers who are concerned about their loved one's cognitive decline. It is not uncommon to hear such explanations go something like this:
Caring for people with dementia requires specialized communication skills training. Unfortunately, healthcare professionals and family caregivers often receive little training to enable them to meet the communicative needs of people with dementia.
No longer is dementia a looming public health threat. It is a global crisis affecting healthcare systems, delivery of long-term care, worker shortages, community infrastructure, families and most importantly, the quality of life for persons living with dementia.
Having a sense of purpose and a community network in which to provide these avenues seems to be important for brain health, an important component of aging well. But aging well starts with more basic work. Some of these include: