Before the pandemic and even more so during it, social isolation and loneliness have been considered serious health risks for older Americans.
Judith Gimbel worries that isolation is killing her mother, Ida, who she hasn’t seen in years but talks to on the phone often. “I don't think she's deteriorating. . . I know she is,” she says of her 95-year-old mother, who lives in assisted living.
Before the pandemic hit, Ida participated in every activity the facility offered. Judith describes how her mother went down for morning yoga; ate all three meals in the dining room; did crafts; and participated in music programs. Without daily stimulation, Gimbel thinks her mother’s dementia has progressed a lot more quickly than she feels it would have otherwise. “She sometimes
doesn't recognize me, and that was never the case before,” Judith says about her mother. Many others in the same situation agree with her about their loved ones declining mental health.
