A GOOD AGE: Finding new lifelines to nursing home residents during COVID-19

BRAINTREE — Joanne Connors and Bob Hughes retired from engaging jobs that filled their days with meaningful connections — Joanne as a tour director who traveled the world and Bob as an analyst with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In retirement they tried volunteer positions that didn't fit. Then they heard about a program with a Swedish name that causes many people to draw a blank. They became ombudsmen for residents of nursing and rest homes through South Shore Elder Services.

"I always wanted to be an advocate for patients," Connors said. Now 80, she has been an avid ombudsman for 13 years.

"I fell in love with it as soon as I started," Hughes said. On board for eight years now, he found the position drew on his background in regulations and protection.

After they completed the four-week, state-run training to become certified ombudsmen, they began visiting the homes assigned to them at least four times a month on a flexible schedule they could create.

It often took several months to gain the trust of the residents. No concern or complaint is pursued and no names are used without the residents' permission. Once established, they saw how careful listening and following up on even the smallest issues with nursing home management made a big difference in the residents' lives.

Then came mid-March 2020 when the state's COVID-19 lockdown closed the doors of nursing and rest homes. People of all ages were in distress — residents, especially those with dementia, who were suddenly isolated; family members cut off from not only visits but also basic communication; staff who had relied on family members to help feed and nurture the residents.

And the ombudsmen. "What do we do now?" Hughes thought.

"When the reality set in that we couldn't go in and see them, it was like coming up against a wall," said Connors, who lives in Hull. Fairly quickly, many nursing homes began offering virtual visits on tablets and phones. "I decided I would visit my people using whatever it was — FaceTime, Zoom, you name the device," Connors said. "Quite honestly, I think that for myself, as well as for them, this was a lifeline for us all to reconnect. To be honest, it is my saving grace. I look forward to talking with them, seeing them."

In some ways, the shorter virtual visits meant that she "saw" more new residents than before when she was apt to sit longer with fewer residents in person.

Hughes said the area ombudsmen knew from experience there had to be ongoing issues for residents inside the facilities. They asked one another, "Who is going in there to check? Who is looking into their rights?"

Hughes believes the strength of their advocacy is that residents and staff know complaints will be followed up on with the appropriate manager and that the ombudsmen will be back on a regular basis. "Seeing the resident, seeing the staffing patterns is important," he said.

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Once they did connect virtually with their residents, they were amazed at their spirit of camaraderie. "They have been incredible in such a difficult situation," Connors said. "Some had to give up their rooms, go to different floors. They have been isolated and there was the tragedy of over 11 people who died in one facility."

But instead of focusing on smaller everyday complaints, residents emphasized how much they appreciated what everyone had done for them. "They feel the staff are doing the best that they can," Connors said. "They were so brave — they have done an admirable job keeping themselves together. We have even had a few laughs together and their encouraging me has been a medicine for me."

At first, Hughes, 71, of Halifax, reached out for information from the two directors of nursing and social workers he normally dealt with and found "they were outstanding." He tried Zoom calls and later was allowed to meet outside individually with residents, all wearing masks and at a social distance. Those visits have now stopped due to the COVID surge; he looks forward to talking to the residents in person again. On virtual calls, he said, he is never certain how nearby a staff member or how "anonymous" a complaint might be.

Before the pandemic, he said, "there have been times I had to direct staff members to go away while I was speaking with a resident . And we don't just take the word of staff that something has been resolved"

Marilyn Strauss, director of the area ombudsman program, and her assistant Elaine Scotton have also focused on showing support for the staff "who were working so hard and placing their own health at risk. This virus is so deadly and it moved through like wildfire and it was heart-breaking," Strauss, a 20-year veteran of the program, said.

With more people at home, South Shore Elder Services has had an increase in volunteers for the meals on wheels program. The same opportunity, Connors said, is also ripe for more ombudsmen who can make such a difference in others' lives.

"Especially now," she said. "I am as landlocked in a way as the residents are and I can certainly sympathize more readily how difficult it must be for them. I have known many of them for years and I am certainly very empathetic to their situation."

The training for new ombudsmen is now being held virtually. It takes place over four weeks, with two-hour online classes held twice a week over a month. Call volunteer coordinator Bridget Campbell at 781-848-3900, Ext. 336

Carolyn Fenn is the director of the state office of long term care ombudsman; the office number is 617-727-7750.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: A GOOD AGE: Finding new lifelines to nursing home residents during COVID-19

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