The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on elderly residents living in care centres, especially during the strict lockdown, as they could not see their families and friends and felt isolated.
“They were lonely and depressed, less interested in participating in organised events and activities and tended to keep to themselves,” said Thembalami Care Centre social worker Lara Hurwitz.
“Some of our residents also showed a decline, not only emotionally but also mentally too.”
To turn the situation around, Thembalami put measures in place to enable its residents to connect with family members via WhatsApp video calls.
This made a significant difference for many residents, including 85-year-old Maureen Wigoder who is now able to better communicate with her family in Israel via a WhatsApp video call every Friday.
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Previously, a resident of Rand Aid Association’s Elphin Lodge retirement village, Maureen, moved to Thembalami in 2020.
“While video calls are not the same as physical contact, they enable residents to see their family members and know that they have not been forgotten,” said Lara.
“They feel a connection with their family and have something else to focus on.
“Seeing someone physically has a bigger impact than talking to them over the phone.
“It is more personal and forms a greater connection,” she explained
Debbie Mendel, Maureen’s daughter, relocated to Israel for study and work opportunities for her children.
“We decided to leave as a family unit, but my mother decided not to join us, even though she could have stayed with us and she was able to get access to Israel,” said Debbie.
“Just as I respected her decision, she respected our reason to make a new start,” highlighted Debbie.
While Debbie was able to speak to her mom on the phone, Maureen battled with video calls and sometimes didn’t hear her phone ring.
Debbie said the family used to call Maureen every day, hoping she would hear the phone and answer.
“She also does not read her WhatsApp messages regularly,” said Debbie.
“The staff at Thembalami reached out to me and suggested that they use their tablet for us to video call her.”
A time was set to ensure the Mendel family was all together and the entire family could talk to her at once.
“Our WhatsApp video calls are now about an hour long and it is a huge comfort,” said Debbie.
“She always tells us how she loves seeing us on a larger screen, and appreciates the care and thought that was put into this new way of helping her to communicate with us,” said Debbie.
Lara said many of the centre’s residents have never encountered technology like this and you can see the thrill and excitement on their faces.
“It uplifts their moods and outlook on the whole situation and they look forward to the next call,” said Lara.
“They can keep up with family news and many follow the progress of their grandchildren, whom they miss.
“Some residents have not seen nor met their grandchildren as they are overseas. Now, they have an opportunity to see them.
“We are forever grateful to the kind staff at Thembalami, who went out of their way to ensure a better way of communicating,” said Debbie.
“I highly recommend this for other families who live far away. I hope this will bring light and comfort to others just as it did for our mom and family.”
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