The effect of letter writing on a long-term care resident with loneliness.

Older adults living in long term care (LTC) facilities may experience increased isolation and loneliness. This was compounded with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Loneliness and isolation increase the risk for physical, psychological, and social decline. This case report discusses the effect of a letter writing initiative on feelings of loneliness and connection in a long-term care resident. Personalized care is the standard in the long-term care setting and letter writing between two people can contribute to personalized meaningful care as evidenced by the example provided. Further research is needed to explore social connection and loneliness and methods to combat these issues with a personalized approach for different populations within LTC facilities.

Exploring Alternate Visions of Caring in a World of Social Distancing.

Compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, both loneliness and isolation are a growing concern for the older adult population. An intergenerational holistic exchange, Cardinals CARE (Cardinals, Adopt, Residents for Engagement), was developed as a way to connect older adults in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) with nursing students while demonstrating the meeting of student service learning outcomes. Students shared correspondence with residents in LTCFs for a 10-week period, sending mail weekly in the form of letters, artwork, crafts, an appropriate joke, or anything to encourage engagement. Jean Watson's Theory of Transpersonal Caring was used as a framework for the project. Students (n = 109) participating in the program provided interaction with 734 residents in 11 LTCFs in 3 counties. Students utilized reflective journaling to demonstrate the meeting of service learning outcomes and described the power of connection and the opportunity to provide holistic care. A result of the project was the intergenerational connectedness showcasing the reciprocal nature of the CARE project. Further research is needed to build an evidence base for the use of such interaction to promote connection and combat loneliness.

An Educational Intervention to Decrease the Number of Emergency Incidents of Restraint and Seclusion on a Behavioral Health Unit.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to implement an educational intervention on an inpatient, behavioral health care unit with the goal of reducing the number of crisis interventions of seclusion or restraint. METHOD: A quasi-experimental pretest and posttest design using De-escalate Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime training was employed with a focus of an increased understanding of a range of de-escalation techniques to use instead of restraint and seclusion. RESULTS: A convenience sample of 21 mental health employees participated in the training. The rates of restraint declined from a mean of 6 preintervention to 2 postintervention. The number of seclusions on the designated unit declined from a mean of 4.33 preintervention to a mean of 1.667 postintervention. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that an educational intervention to increase the knowledge of direct care staff in a broad range of de-escalation techniques resulted in a reduction in the use of restraint and seclusion. Ongoing training for nursing staff may reassure them of the efficacy of alternative methods for dealing with aggressive patients. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(2):70-76.].

Faith Community Nursing: Identifying and Combating Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

ABSTRACT: The number of older adults worldwide is growing; the incidence of social isolation and loneliness among this population is also increasing. Social isolation and loneliness can have significant physical, mental, and spiritual impacts. Faith community nurses are in an optimal position to identify and intervene to help faith communities reduce the social isolation and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults. Risk factors and tools to identify both circumstances are discussed along with interventions and a case study.