Geriatric Care Unit Counteracts Feelings of Social Isolation During Holiday Season

(KNSI) – The CentraCare Geriatric Behavioral Health Unit is getting into the holiday spirit while fighting back against social isolation.

The goal is to quickly stabilize patients and discharge them to their homes, to the care of family, or some other living arrangement. Nurse Amanda Ripplinger says this time of year, they find inspiration in a Christmas tradition.

“Another thing we really like to do around the holiday season is try to incorporate some baking groups into our therapeutic programming. We found that baking can improve the moods of patients, but also it really helps them reminisce about some of the good times that they’ve experienced throughout their lifetime. It’s been a really helpful tool.”

They take a cue from some popular music, too, like “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” They care for people from across the state and even across the Midwest. Some of them have few family around. Social Services Manager April Stadtler says, much like the song, lending a friendly ear to tales of the glories of long, long ago makes a difference.

“What I hear most from patients is feeling heard, in feeling listened to. So, we spend a lot of time in our groups doing a lot of reminiscing and just talking about patients and their experiences. And really having the opportunity to talk about that and feeling heard by others around them, I think that probably has the biggest impact.”

A typical patient is only at the Monticello facility for less than two weeks, but that is still enough time for social isolation to creep in. Nurses in the unit say they try to keep their patients busy by teaching them how to cope with their current situation or to avoid dwelling on things.

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