@Izzy
Izzy S-L
@Izzy · 0:58

Caring for the elderly during COVID-19

article image placeholderWhy-Elderly-Care-Can-Be-So-Important
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Another Swallowcast with me. Izzy, I am so excited to have a returning guest join us today. Melanie Barrett. You may remember Melanie from when we talked about her entrepreneurship with her business, Bailey Bug. If you have yet to hear our conversation about that, definitely go check that out. But today we are going to be talking about another hat that Melanie wears. Melanie is an event planner at a memory care facility for the elderly

Talking with @melbarrett10 about her experiences https://s.swell.life/SSIRmgzW7QlVwOE

@melbarrett10
Melanie Barrett
@melbarrett10 · 1:40

It’s difficult, but we need to stay positive.

But no one is allowed to see their families. Really. So you can just tell that people miss their families, they miss their friends. They miss going out and doing things. And as the memory care coordinator over there for event planning, I really try to implement fun activities where I feel like we can remember good things and have fun and laugh and try to bring the spirit up as much as we can
@Izzy
Izzy S-L
@Izzy · 1:09

What kinds of events do you put on?

So I really appreciate your willingness to come on here and kind of talk about that because I do feel like these kind of conversations can be really uplifting and inspired when directed in the right way. So kind of getting more towards other positive ends of things. You mentioned that you put on concerts for the residents outside. I would love to hear more about some of the other events that you plan and the activities that you do with the residents
@melbarrett10
Melanie Barrett
@melbarrett10 · 3:40

Engaging activities

It's just such a positive reinforcement for them, especially in the kind of time that we are now. You need every little positive thing you can get. So these kind of little events that have come from COVID and have pushed us to be more creative and more inventive in the crafts that we do have kind of been, I would say, a blessing back in memory care because we've found activities that they really seem to enjoy more than just the usual stuff that we used to do before this happened
@Izzy
Izzy S-L
@Izzy · 0:47

Why are these events important?

Well, Melanie, that sounds like so much fun that you have with your residents. And you mentioned that these events helped one of your residents in particular, share and reflect about a memory that she has with her puppy, which, by the way, what an adorable, silly name. I love that I also noticed that all of these activities really put an emphasis on social interaction
@melbarrett10
Melanie Barrett
@melbarrett10 · 3:32

Finding a sense of home

Yeah. So I think it doesn't really matter if if you're memory care, if you're living, if you're in a nursing home, if you're ten years old by yourself for too long and being too bored will make you start to decline. It's like that old saying, if you don't use it, you lose it
@Izzy
Izzy S-L
@Izzy · 2:00

Thank you so much, Melanie!

Well, Melly, thank you so much. Those stories are so inspiring. And during the time that we're in right now with COVID and with the rising cases, it's really, really humbling and beautiful to hear about your experiences in your memory care home. And I know that there are aspects of it that cause you and the residents there sadness
Swell user mugshot
0:000:00