By AAPACN and Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA -
For staff, the holidays can be a busy time full of family gatherings and holiday celebrations, but for our residents, the holidays can be an especially lonely time. Our residents must adjust to so many different circumstances as they age -- issues such as physical disability, loss of independence, social isolation, and learning to living in a communal setting. These items alone can be enough to trigger depression but couple this with loss during the holidays and it can be overwhelming.
Imagine if you were unable to participate in your own holiday traditions because you were chronically ill and needed assistance. That is exactly what Mrs. Brown experienced while spending the holidays in the skilled nursing facility. Mrs. Brown had a fall just after Thanksgiving. Her goal was to return home long before Christmas, but she suffered a right hip fracture that required surgical repair and therapy wasn’t progressing as she had hoped.
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