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Show Communication Toolkit Development to Mitigate Effects of COVID-19 Isolation on Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities Taylor Sublett, BSN, RN, PMHDNP-Student Key Findings: In the assessment phase of the project, the chief identified cause of decreased mental health was a lack of contact with family and other loved ones outside the facility; residents preferred in-person instruction to a printed toolkit; facility staff reported the residents who attended education requires less staff assistance to manage devices. Background Results Mental health deterioration is a concern among the geriatric population, even before COVID-19 caused widespread shutdowns and isolation. Collection and examination of reported mental and physical deterioration indicated that social isolation from loved ones was likely a contributing factor in decreasing mental health of residents. As COVID restrictions continue, LTCF administrators report increasing mental health struggles, in addition to somatic sequelae such as increasing falls and other incidences, and medication refusals. While the start of the quarantine period seems to be related to these declines in health, there is not a clear indication of what the exact cause is (Rogers et al., 2020). Toolkit and education interventions resulted in new usage of video apps increasing by 30%. Residents who participated in one-on-one teaching reported increased levels of confidence with devices and increased frequency of communicating with loved ones. Methods Conclusions A long-term care facility in Kaysville, Utah Increasing resident confidence and fluency with electronic devices resulted in higher levels of communication done with smart devices, as well as increased resident use of other apps, such as music and game apps. Past charting was assessed to establish a pre- and postisolation relationship for resident falls, medication refusals, approved social activities done, and others. Residents were individually interviewed to assess use of video communication such as FaceTime. Education toolkit developed to assist residents with video communication on smart devices. One-on-one education sessions offered weekly for an average of 45 minutes per session for seven weeks. Developing resident comfort with smart devices prophylactically will likely be protective during another large-scale isolation shutdown situation, or may be beneficial even with individual isolation for certain communicable diseases. COLLEGE OF NURSING |
