14 Oct Moral Distress
Extra grace is surely required IN all of us FOR all of us.
Moral distress: the angst and weariness of knowing how it should be without the ability to make it so. When I talk about moral distress with any of my senior professional colleagues, I consistently see the nods and hear “yes, that’s it” to explain what many carers are experiencing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Moral distress is currently taking its toll on many of us in senior care as the loneliness is taking its toll on those for whom we care.
Extra grace is surely required…and extra effort is too. We are seeing an increasing numbers of our long term care community staff stepping up to the challenge to provide more interactive personal engagement for their residents. Virtual connection is no substitute for a hug, but if you have the ability to help someone attend our virtual “mobile memory cafes,” grab a laptop, HDMI cord, and a TV for a group of residents…or just grab an ipad if helping one resident at a time and join us for a little joyful connection with reminiscing, games, laughter, and music. These gatherings are as fun for residents and staff helping facilitate the conversation inside care communities as for families outside the care communities attending the same gatherings “together” with their loved ones. See Dementiatogether.org for more information.
Of course, we still offer our usual memory cafes for people living at home alone or with their care partners. We long for the return of our in-person community memory cafe gatherings and our mobile memory cafes in long-term care communities, but until then, we will continue to offer moments of hope and joy through virtual interactive connection. We hope you will join us.
We can’t fix the devastation of loneliness for everyone, but each of us can do for one what we wish we could do for all. Memory Cafes for Care Communities
Cyndy Hunt Luzinski, MS, RN
Executive Director