Here's a simple program that could easily be replicated across the country, one that could make the holidays for long-term care patients living through coronavirus just a little bit better. Throughout the holidays, the Ohio Area Agencies on Aging, Ohio Medicaid program, and the five private Medicaid managed care organizations are teaming up to train volunteers and pair them up with nursing home residents for twice-weekly 30-minute phone calls.
The Aging agencies will train volunteers on how to be phone pals for the residents. They will also be trained using the UCLA Loneliness Scale to identify residents who might need more intervention to treat depression and other issues arising from their isolation. Any nursing home that has at least 50 residents receiving Medicaid assistance is eligible to participate.
In announcing the program, Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran said "Research shows us that the holidays are an emotionally challenging time for those residing in shared living facilities, a reality exacerbated by months of social distancing and limited interaction with loved ones." COVID-19 hasn't just kept residents' families and friends away, it's ravaged nursing homes. Not only are residents dealing with the fear of the pandemic, they're dealing with the loss of members of their community in the facilities. "We also know that depression can accelerate physical deterioration," Corcoran said. "This initiative gets to the heart of the matter by offering consistent, caring and highly interpersonal connections that are needed now and throughout the holidays ahead."
In just Ohio, 21,000 residents in long-term care facilities have been infected with COVID-19, and more than 3,100 have died since April. More than half of the state's deaths have been among nursing home residents. Nationally, there's a surge in positive cases in long-term care facilities with a 21% jump in the first two weeks of November. The only light right now for these communities is that they'll be prioritized for the vaccine, but they still have a fraught holiday season to get through. This program will provide at least a little relief. Frankly, it shouldn't end after December, and it shouldn't just be in one state.