Bridging Social Distance

This has certainly been a challenging time for everyone, but since I work in a long term care setting, I see in particular the difficulties of families having to be separated from their loved ones because of the necessary restrictions on visits. There are some particular parts of everyday life that we may often take for granted and those are our body language, facial expressions, and acts of touch such as a gentle hug, pat on the back, squeeze of a hand, or a kiss. Quite a few patients in long term care have communication issues such a being unable to speak due to a stroke or dementia, or being unable to hear well. These people often rely on visual and tactile communication to express themselves or to understand what someone else is telling them. A quick chat on the phone does not work. Today I watched as a spouse came by to drop off a special food item to brighten up her husband's day. He is unable to speak in general, but with strong concentration he can say some words. I could see the disappointment in both of their faces, as they new they had to stay separated by glass, yet also saw the joy and love they shared at just being able to see each other and share a smile. I put the man's hand up on the glass and his wife put her hand on the other side of the glass. She said, "I love you," and her husband, with great effort , said very carefully, "I love you too." Everyone had tears in their eyes to see such tenderness. It is my hope and prayer that as a result of all of this difficulty we are going through, all of us will be extra mindful and thankful for the people that bless our lives and not take for granted those special ties that bind us... and once "social distancing" is no longer needed, that we will be liberal in our hugs and other physical ways of encouraging each other.

Also, as many of you may have already heard, there has been a suggestion in the media to send cards as encouragement to residents of long term care facilities. This definitely brightens people's days. If you can send out a few cards to encourage people, please do so by picking any facility that you know of and writing "For Any Resident" with the address.

Peace, Laura Miller