Social Disengagement and Isolation During a Global Pandemic: Occupational Therapy Strategies for You and Your Client 

by: Anjali K. Parti, OTD, OTR/L
Mental Health Special Interest Section FOTA

As you are all aware, the United States along with the global community is experiencing a period of social isolation, disengagement, social distancing, heightened public health precautions, and an overall sense of change in ‘normal’ due to a novel strain of the Coronavirus, COVID-19. Several countries are experiencing new social realities and limitations in order to prevent retrieving or spreading the virus. All Americans are encouraged to self-quarantine and limit exposure to gatherings or environments of a quantity of 10 or less people and implement 6-foot distance between one another. In short, Americans are discouraged from leaving their homes if possible. This is a significant societal shift which can yield many challenges to routine, personal and professional growth, emotional regulation, wellness, mental health, coping strategies stemming from a general feeling of ‘cabin fever’.

Related conditions leading to social isolation such as depression and anxiety yield the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes per day (HoltLunstad, 2015). Social isolation among older adults is associated with an estimated $6.7 billion in additional Medicare spending annually. Americans will likely experience increased social isolation and loneliness in combatting this pandemic. Fourth-three percent of adults age 60 or older in the U.S. reported feeling lonely (Tan, 2020). We have heard of some good strategies from our Psychology colleagues, here are some tangible OT driven suggestions for yourself and your homebound clients:

Create a routine — Change out of your pajamas, shower and make a to-do of all the things you want to achieve each day to create a sense of normality and productivity.

• Use the COPM or Occupational Profile (www.aota.org) in your treatment sessions
• What are ADL/IADL that are limited or impacted?
• Create a vision board or routine schedule
• Identify caregivers that can assist the client with ADL/ IADL difficulties specifically if they already reside in the same home

 

Break up your day — Find tasks to break up your day and, where possible, change your environment for different activities.

• Incorporate leisure activities and incorporate these preferred activities in between the more routine ADL (painting, gardening, cooking, organizing, sewing, scrapbooking, etc.)
• Meaningful activities- for the older client encourage reminiscing through photo albums as a cognitive exercise, recall skills, storytelling, creating a family tree, etc.

 

Take care of your body

• Home workout routines are plentiful these days

» Virtual exercise classes
» Yoga , dance, Pilates, HIIT, workout apps
» Exercise equipment (treadmill, stationary bike, arm weights)
» Create a workout routine and stick to it!
» Avoid scrolling on social media or watching the news before bedtime
» Eat well and use the extra time to meal plan and freeze food
» Get plenty of sleep

 

Stay connected

• ‘GrandPad’ IPad for the Geriatric Population can be located at https://www. grandpad.net
• Video Conferencing
• Book Clubs
• Write Letters
• Video Game Night
• Phone calls, social media, texts, and preferred technology and entertainment

Limit media intake

• Protect your mind and what you allow it to absorb
• Daily scrolling on social media may not be as ‘mindless’ as we think
• Scrolling in the morning while in bed- what tone can that set for the day?

In conclusion, Occupational Therapy practitioners are already well equipped identify signs and symptoms of distress, depression, and anxiety and we have the tools to practice psychosocial approaches in our interventions. It is our call to monitor ourselves and our clients during all global health concerns and try to be instrumental in preventing a mental health crisis.

References Gilchrist, C. (2020) Psychology Experts Share Their Tips For Safeguarding Your Mental Health During a Quarantine
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 227-237.
Tan, E. (2020) How to Fight the Social Isolation of Coronavirus Retrieved from The Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults. (2020). The Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults. Retrieved from