Addressing Social Isolation

“’Long-term care facilities are home to some of society’s most vulnerable—often frail seniors with pre-existing health conditions, including dementia and Alzheimer’s. These seniors depend on their loved ones for social companionship, and right now those usual ways of connection are gone,’ says UBC’s Dr. Roger Wong, clinical professor of geriatric medicine in the faculty of medicine, who is helping lead the new initiative.
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Over the coming months, the Connecting with Compassion team will deliver new iPads to long-term care homes across the province in hopes of facilitating virtual visits and connections among family and friends. The iPads will arrive pre-loaded with videoconferencing programs, like FaceTime, Zoom and Skype, as well as a host of other apps designed to keep seniors engaged. The iPads will also come complete with recorded performances by students from UBC’s School of Music—including harpist Hayley Farenholtz.
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As part of the initiative, UBC medical students based in communities across the province will be playing an active role, volunteering their time to virtually visit and connect with residents in long-term care homes every week.”

Learn more here on “Helping seniors in long-term care combat social isolation during COVID-19” via UBC News.