HONOLULU – The holidays can be a depressing time for kupuna. Some senior caregivers worry that the coronavirus is making that worse because of the social restrictions.
Mandy Kiaha works at CareSift, a long term care placement service. She says since the coronavirus hit, her agency has been getting more calls because seniors are getting depressed and their health is declining. “A lot of our seniors are negatively impacted. Their community centers, adult day care programs, church – they’re no longer able to do that. Sometimes family are isolating from seniors to keep them from getting infected,” she says.
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Kiaha finds a bright side to all this, pointing out that the coronavirus is forcing us to change our patterns and perspective. “It’s not money and our daily job. It’s about taking care of each other. Loving each other. This has given us a new take on life and I hope that continues beyond COVID-19.”