Combating Heightened Social Isolation of Nursing Home Elders: The Telephone Outreach in the COVID-19 Outbreak Program
Combating Heightened Social Isolation of Nursing Home Elders: The Telephone Outreach in the COVID-19 Outbreak Program
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DOI：
10.1016/j.jagp.2020.05.026
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发表时间：
2020-09-01
影响因子：
7.2
通讯作者：
Conroy, Michelle L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
van Dyck, Laura, I;Wilkins, Kirsten M.;Conroy, Michelle L.
目的：社交孤立和孤独-老年人的常见问题-因COVID-19大流行而加剧。为了解决养老院居民的社会隔离问题，耶鲁大学医学院老年医学学生兴趣小组在COVID-19爆发（TOCO）计划中发起了一项电话外展活动，每周与学生志愿者通电话。方法：联系当地的养老院;娱乐总监确定适当的和感兴趣的老年居民。学生志愿者与老年居民配对，并提供电话指示。结果：三家养老院选择参加该计划。30名老年居民与学生志愿者配对。娱乐总监和学生志愿者的初步报告是积极的：老年居民期待每周的电话，并表达对社会联系的感谢。结论：TOCO计划取得初步成效，促进了养老院居民的社会幸福感。我们希望在COVID-19大流行之后继续这项计划，以满足特别脆弱的患者群体的持续需求。
Objective: Social isolation and loneliness-common concerns in older adults-are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To address social isolation in nursing home residents, the Yale School of Medicine Geriatrics Student Interest Group initiated a Telephone Outreach in the COVID-19 Outbreak (TOCO) Program that implements weekly phone calls with student volunteers. Methods: Local nursing homes were contacted; recreation directors identified appropriate and interested elderly residents. Student volunteers were paired with elderly residents and provided phone call instructions. Results: Three nursing homes opted to participate in the program. Thirty elderly residents were paired with student volunteers. Initial reports from recreation directors and student volunteers were positive: elderly residents look forward to weekly phone calls and express gratitude for social connectedness. Conclusions: The TOCO program achieved initial success and promotes the social wellbeing of nursing home residents. We hope to continue this program beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in order to address this persistent need in a notably vulnerable patient population.