Prioritizing Emotional Well-Being and Resilience in the Care of Older People

            During the pandemic, I did have conversations with elderly individuals which were primarily my grandparents. My Nanny lived alone in an assisted living facility during the pandemic, which was very lonely for her. She kept herself busy by calling friends and family and talking with them and having visitors such as close family members take her on drives. My Nanny did demonstrate immense resilience through this time since she spent a majority of the beginning of the pandemic by herself. She wasn’t even able to socialize with other members of her assisted living facility due to the risk of their age group and their risk for COVID transmission. I also remember my Nanny discussing the pandemic, and she seemed less concerned about it than myself and my immediate family. I remember her discussing her life when she was younger since she grew up during World War II, and she explained how there are periods in life that are more difficult than others, but they eventually pass. 

            My other grandparents, my Nana and Papa, lived together during the pandemic. They are from a rural area, so they weren’t as affected by the limited socialization as I was for example. My Nana and Papa made sure to wear their masks in public but were still able to do most of their daily activities such as grocery shopping, going to the post office, and spending time outside riding their side by side and doing yardwork. 

            After viewing the CECE event on well-being and resilience in older adults, I learned that the geriatric population regarding mental health is severely underserved. As a nurse, I feel that it is my job to advocate for geriatric patients to ensure they are still able to maintain overall wellness. I also have noticed that I have had a bias towards geriatric patients which is they aren’t as resilient as young or middle-aged adults. I think I originally had this bias because as a society we often view the geriatric patient as weak and in need of help. I have since realized that this isn’t the case with many geriatric patients, and their resilience and life satisfaction is often the highest out of all patient populations. I will be careful not to make this assumption about the elderly population in the future and be aware of my original bias.