Letter to the Editor: Seniors in isolation

Dear Editor: 

Imagine being a senior living in a residential care facility during COVID-19, isolated in your room for months on end. 

Activities and visits are canceled because it’s not safe to gather in a group. Your facility’s activity director is overwhelmed – there is no way to keep 100+ residents mentally stimulated, no way to combat their loneliness. 

There is a crisis happening, not only in Southern California, but across the nation. Seniors living in residential care facilities are dying, not only of COVID-19, but of loneliness. 

According to Matthew Lee Smith, co-director of the Texas A&M Center for Population Health and Aging, “Without frequent and meaningful social interaction and stimulation, older adults’ cognitive functioning can decline. As the days of isolation wear on, older adults are especially susceptible to depression and anxiety and suicidal thoughts.” 

Founded in Downey, Compassionate Artists (CA) is a nonprofit working hard to keep the arts in the lives of seniors at several local facilities. When quarantine prevented their visits, CA began creating activity books with more than enough activities for a month at a time. 

CA has delivered individual arts kits and creativity boxes full of art supplies for a wide variety of projects. CA is even creating a YouTube channel to provide dance, music, and easy art instruction to facilities across the nation. There is so much more they could do with proper funding, not only in Downey, but nationwide. 

Compassionate Artists needs volunteers (virtual volunteering) and donations to widen our reach. Find out how you can help at CompassionateArtists.org.

Carol Gibson
Downey