“My main roll as a care aide is to help people with getting dressed, eating, using the bathroom, and laying down. We socialize a lot with the residents as well, especially right now during COVID because they don't have their family members coming in. We joke around, talk and if we have time, play cards with them.
I work in complex care so I have a few dementia patients who get anxious when they see me wearing a mask and goggles as they don’t recognize me. I say my name, remind them I was here yesterday, and talk to them in a joking, more lighthearted manner.
There are scheduled visits now, but they have to be six feet apart and wear a facemask. Some residents get upset when they see their family in masks, thinking they are sick. They don’t understand why they can’t spend more time with their families as visiting hours are restricted. So there's a lot of support in reassuring, redirecting and calming down residents.
We have a balcony on the second floor and some residents have visits with their family members from the balcony or from our windows so they're getting to see each other at a distance, but they're still seeing each other face to face.
A lot of things that we normally would do to support them physically, mentally, emotionally just aren’t available, making it harder.
We use to have dances, with firemen coming in and dancing with the ladies, and kindergartens coming in to sing to them. These are things they looked forward to, being part of the community.”
-Morgan, Care Aide, part of the health care team