Baycrest Health Sciences & Baycrest Foundation Publications
Issue link: http://baycrest.uberflip.com/i/1362136
"In the face of the hardships collectively experienced throughout the pandemic, we have seen the dawn of a new vision for aging care." We are now more than a year into the pandemic, and an end to this global debacle is coming into greater focus. What are some lessons we have learned from the experience of the pandemic's impact on older adults and their caregivers, and how do we apply those lessons going forward? Physical distancing, while a necessary feature of infection prevention and control protocols, results in social isolation, loneliness and depression, all of which are either risk factors for dementia or can exacerbate the condition. Ensuring access to healthcare services and sustained social connection for those living with dementia who can no longer be visited or treated in person must always be paramount. In fact, physical distancing measures have necessitated the rapid adoption of remote care technologies, and at Baycrest, we have embraced innovative approaches for the provision of care at an extraordinarily rapid pace. Hastened by the pandemic, clinicians and caregivers have welcomed the expansion of electronic access to care for older adults living in the community as well as within care facilities. These gains must continue as a staple of best practice long after the pandemic comes to an end. THE VIRTUAL SOLUTION One innovative technology-enabled service that emerged as a direct consequence of the pandemic is the Virtual Behavioural Medicine (VBM) program. Persons living with dementia can demonstrate challenging responsive behaviours, such as physical and verbal aggression, agitation, hallucinations and paranoia. Historically, such patients needed to be examined in person or sent from a long-term care facility to a hospital emergency room for evaluation. In the VBM program, such patients are assessed virtually and receive pharmacological and non- pharmacological interventions to address these clinical challenges. This has helped to reduce transfers to acute care hospitals, trimmed wait times for referral to dementia care specialists and enabled effective behavioural support of patients in the setting in which they live. 6 6 BrainMATTERS SPRING|SUMMER 2021 One Year Later: A PERSPECTIVE ON THE PANDEMIC