Social interactions become ‘lifeline’ for Tarrant County older adults during pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, Marion Meyer, 86, spent many days inside her room.
Her independent living center in Fort Worth required residents to stay apart and staff delivered food to their doors.
Meyer favors in-person connections rather than phone calls. When the weekends arrived, she knew it was an opportunity to finally see a family member face to face. She was able to use a tablet to video chat.
“It was a connection where I could see the person I was talking to,” she said. “I could see them and that helped very much.”
Meyer and her family would play games together on her tablet. She said many people were not lucky enough to have a loved one who could virtually visit them.
Tarrant County organizations saw how the pandemic was impacting older adults in the area and resulted to reaching out to clients by phone and letter. Even with society’s heavy use of technology, some people don’t have access to cell phones, social media or the internet.
Mental health concerns in adults
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 8 out of 10 COVID-19 deaths were in adults age 65 and older. Older adults were immediately warned they were at a greater risk for hospitalization or dying from the illness. According to Tarrant County Public Health, 73% of COVID-19 deaths in the county were older adults since the beginning of the pandemic.
The pandemic caused many older adults to go into social isolation. Independent living facilities and nursing homes put in place social distancing and visitor protocols. Friends who normally saw each other during activities transitioned to speaking on the phone.
In May, the University of Michigan released the annual National Poll on Healthy Aging. Adults ranging from the ages of 50 to 80 were asked a series of questions about their mental health.
The report stated only 5% of older adults said their mental health was better compared to how it was before the pandemic. One in five older adults currently experience depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorder, insomnia or another mental health disorder, according to the National Poll.
According to the university, these issues are not a normal part of aging.
Many older adults in Tarrant County rely on services provided by community organizations, according to local groups. These organizations take care of social, mental health, transportation and housework needs.
Social interactions have become a “lifeline” for many by allowing them to not feel alone especially when family and loved ones live faraway.
Mid-Cities Care Corps, a 40-year-old organization that provides help to more than 580 people for free in 11 cities in Northeast Tarrant County, started receiving an influx of phone calls when COVID-19 hit from clients.
Clients called staff only to have a conversation. Jane Naumen, volunteer coordinator, said many clients have been lonely because they’ve been stuck at home.
“We all know that loneliness really does lead to a lot of other physical and mental problems,” Naumen said.
Why is COVID-19 impacting mental health?
According to the National Poll, it was more common among women with higher education, and those who rated their health as fair or poor, to report their mental health as worse than before the pandemic began.
Mary Twis, Texas Christian University’s Masters of Social Work program director, said there are many things that can lead to mental health problems, including social isolation. A person’s environment, experiences and trust in social institutions can also contribute to their overall mental health.
“When people are isolated from social support, whether they are older or not, they’re going to be more likely to have worsening depression, worsening anxiety” Twis said. “Other conditions that maybe they may have been dealing with for a very long time, maybe managed, could get worse as well.”
According to Twis, it is important for a person to know there is someone they can call who can support them or can be there when they need help.
The majority of older adults, 71%, said they don’t have hesitations about seeing a mental health professional in the future, according to the University of Michigan’s National Poll. However, 29% said they were unsure or had reservations.
Twis said there can be many reasons why a person doesn’t ask for help: not having access to services, not knowing who can help you, feeling others need more help than you, and the stigma of mental health care.
Depression in older adults can look differently than with others. Twis said a person might appear confused or dealing with memory loss. Losing interest in hobbies or saying things are not enjoyable anymore can be signs of depression.
Twis said it is important to pay attention to changes in a person’s eating and sleeping habits when looking for signs of depression.
Older adults are also at risk for suicide. If a person tells their loved one or caregiver about their thoughts, it should be discussed because it could be a sign they need help, according to Twis.
She said it is important to remember that the pandemic is still affecting many people through finances, employment and mental health.
“Just because there might be a sense of things returning to normal, it is not a time to let your guard down for you or for the people that you love,” Twis said. “Any change, even a positive change back to normalcy, can also be a source of stress on top of an already stressful year.”
Organizations, loved ones provide assistance
Fort Worth resident Deborah King, 65, experienced numerous changes during the pandemic.
Her independent living center in Arlington shutdown because of the winter storm. This led her to move into her daughter’s home for a period of time before finding new housing.
“Anxiety is peaking really hard,” she said.
King’s dog helps her manage the added anxiety. She said having a pet provides her emotional support, but also gives her a responsibility.
“I think she senses when I’m overly stressed and can just tell,” King said. “She just lies beside me and quiets.”
One day she received a phone call from United Way of Tarrant County’s Area Agency on Aging. She said they contacted her at the right time. The organization provided her supplies, advice and put her in touch with needed services.
“Oh my, talk about a blessing,” King said. “That was a great one.”
The Area Agency on Aging provides services for adults starting at 60 years old. It provides safety repairs and fall prevention on homes, benefits counseling, advice, a long-term ombudsman advocate program and other programs focusing on care transitions, health and mental health topics.
Crystal Johnson, deputy director of community services for the Area Agency on Aging, said the organization immediately knew it would need to readjust its programming to help the mental health of clients once the pandemic hit.
It saw an increase of clients experiencing social isolation. Some clients lived alone or did not have family members who were involved in their lives. Johnson said some felt like they were trapped in their own home or afraid of dying from COVID-19.
The United Way’s staff wrote letters to clients that were possibly at a higher risk of experiencing a mental health crisis.
“We offered encouraging words and we drew pictures,” Johnson said. “And to not put so much pressure on them, that they felt like they had to respond.”
Sixty and Better, an organization that has worked in Tarrant County for more than 50 years, went to help residents in Hill Villa Senior Community in Fort Worth during COVID-19. Meyer, a resident, didn’t know about the organization before then.
She moved to Texas from Milwaukee nearly six years ago. After living with her daughter for a year, she moved into an independent living facility.
Meyer said the pandemic has been hard, but she’s staying positive.
“At times it was depressing. I would talk myself out of it,” she said. “If I would keep busy in my room, that helped and if I read my Bible every day and watched a lot of television.”
Sixty and Better provided the community with books to help residents understand mental health and other medical subjects. Meyer said the materials helped calm her anxiety about COVID-19.
The organization also provides programs focusing on chronic disease self management, exercise, nutrition, finances, advance care planning, healthy relationships and community engagement.
Meyer advises others to stay positive, look for the good things in each day and keep themselves busy to help their mental health during the pandemic.
James Parsley, 95, and his wife live at The Wellington, an independent living facility in North Richland Hills. Their daughters live nearby the facility, and other family live in Parker County.
He said having family nearby, staying well and being able to keep busy has helped him stay positive. The WWII veteran organizes the library and fixes wheels on other residents’ walkers.
“It has always been my aim and goal to help anywhere that I could,” Parsley said. “This seems to be a very good place to apply that.”
For Bedford resident Donna Turner, 73, staying safe has been a priority.
“I’ve been keeping myself safe from everything that is going on,” she said. “I have a cell phone that I can call my family.”
Things are now going back to normal in her community. She began a walking program with friends that allows them to know how many steps they complete.
Mid-Cities Care Corps has helped Turner with the use of their transportation services.
“They’re here when I need them,” Turner said. “Like when I want to go to the store or go to the doctor or if I want to go get my hair done.”
The organization delivered goody bags and holiday gift baskets to Turner and other clients. They are filled with cards, activity books, puzzles, word searches, stamps, pet supplies, toiletries, etc.
Mid-Cities also helps clients through minor home repairs, lawn work and social outreach.
“We are a lifeline for a lot of our seniors that just don’t have anybody else or, if they do, their family isn’t in contact with them,” said Elizabeth Grace, executive director of Mid-Cities Care Corps. “We are that extended family that they need.”
Resources
Area Agency on Aging: www.unitedwaytarrant.org/aaatc/
Aging and Disability Resources Center of Tarrant County: 1-888-730-ADRC (2372), tarrantcountyadrc.org/
Mid-Cities Care Corps: 817-282-0531, midcitiescarecorps.org/
Sixty and Better: 817-413-4949, www.sixtyandbetter.org/
This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 5:15 AM.
