Wyoming Elderly Tough It Out Even As Younger Generations Migrate Away

A hospice patient's end-of-life desires are most often thwarted when well-meaning loved ones see the patient in some sort of distress. New programs ask first-responder paramedics to work with hospice programs to better honor a person’s end-of-life wishes.

Virtual reality is being used as part of medical education providing a way for nurses and other medical workers to better understand how a patient may experiencing their surroundings. Virtual reality modules have been created for blind, colorblind, dementia, and dying patients.

Dementia units and long-term care homes for the elderly are often desolate and lonely places, with harried workers attempting to meet the needs of their patients while also meeting government-set metrics of success. For families and individuals, it can be difficult to imagine a better way. However, a pilot program in Canada called the Butterfly room is showing that dedicated efforts to making long-term care homes a vibrant and loving place for someone's last days has positive impacts for everyone - and is worth a government investment do right across the country.

Santa Monica, California piloted an experiment that sends rental checks to seniors in the city. After seeing positive results, the program now plans to expand 10-fold.

A coordinated care program is helping provide in-home care to those who are considered pre-hopsice and who are combatting chronic health issues. While the program doesn't always financially help the hospitals it operates out of due to a reduction in emergency room visits, the patient is able to save almost half of what they would have spent on regular hospital visits.

A mobile "strike team" comprised of workers from Contra Costa County, local home health agencies, advocates, and nonprofit groups is helping seniors living in assisted-living facilities to get access to the Covid-19 vaccine. Although the team is small, they have been able to help more than 800 seniors across 50 facilities get their first shot.

A public hearse, donated by a National Assembly member, helps around three families a day carry their deceased relatives to burial grounds. The minivan, with no seats and a siren on top, has had a profound effect in the area, which is often dealing with disease and occasional armed conflict. Previously, families carried bodies on foot or strapped to a motorcycle, and often had to pay someone to do it. The public service is overseen by a hearse management committee and the city’s 90,000 residents are charged a mandatory fee of about $1.28 per household to cover repairs, gas, and payments to the driver.

Programs that promote interaction between young and old people benefit both groups emotionally. At a retirement community, Collington, music students perform for and interact with the residents in return for free room and board. Pop-up concerts and shared meals form friendships of the sort that research shows can reduce older adults' loneliness and increase their cognitive engagement. Young people gain in empathy, while both groups can make each other feel more needed. Programs responding to social isolation also bring children as young as infants into senior housing.

Animal chaplains provide spiritual support, specifically focusing on relationships with animals. Animal chaplains help clients prepare for a pet’s passing and run animal loss support groups, regardless of a person’s religious beliefs or affiliation.

Priya Living is an elder-living community focused on Indian culture. Priya Living has four locations throughout the state and is planning to expand in Michigan and Texas. Rent in the condo-style units ranges from $2,000 to $3,000 a month and currently serves over 530 people. This culture-focused community helps the aging population fight loneliness and find a sense of community with people they can relate to through activities and programming like yoga, movie screenings and down time to chat.