26 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • DECEMBER 3, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Study shows COVID-19’s deeper impact on minority senior community
BY BRIANA BONFIGLIO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Older New Yorkers of color have been
most severely impacted by the COVID-
19 pandemic, which is further widening
existing race-based gaps in health, housing
The Faculty Educator and Aging
Th e importance of the fi eld of geriatric
Nursing, relies on the ability of the
college educator to encourage student
interest in the care of the aged patient.
Educational resources are readily available
and can be found in professional
journals, text books, audio-visuals, face
to face seminars, webinars and approved
college curriculums.
Educators depend on various teaching
strategies and learning modules that
benefi t the learner. One particular teaching
strategy has the student write a narrative
that helps her explore the experiences
and decisions that fi rst led her to
Nursing as a chosen profession.
Nurse educators employ many teaching
devices. One in particular is the “learning
activity” packet that focuses on specifi
c suggestions for using a “how to” tool
that deals with complicated nursing procedures
in a step-by-step approach. Here
are several examples for eff ective learning:
1) Integrated Course Content – understanding
the complex process of aging
from infancy (pediatrics) to old age (geriatrics).
2) Multiple Teaching Modules – independent
modules that off er a diverse
approach to learning by examining
other related professions and specialties
that have a mutual commonality with
Nursing.
3) Off site “Classroom” Study – interviewing
older individuals as a way of
gaining insight on aging, such as relatives,
parents, grandparents, neighbors,
and older members of religious congregations.
4) Selective Experiences at Various
Venues – face to face contact with elderly
persons in the community, in nursing
homes and assisted living and senior citizen
centers.
In 1990, the Kellogg Foundation funded
a demonstration project in eight associate
degree programs across the United
States. Its purpose was to integrate care of
the aged as an established segment in the
general curricula.
Th ere are, at present, two hundred
community colleges nationwide, affi liated
with state certifi ed nursing homes,
that educate nursing students in the care
of the older population wherever they
reside.
Educators who guide their students
have to deal with the internal confl icts
and vulnerabilities that frequently surface
when a student is confronted with an
ill and/or dying elderly person. Th ey will
oft en grapple with their own feelings of
independence vs. dependence while sympathizing
with the elderly who are experiencing
the same inner confl icts – confl
icts that usually pertain to issues with
their own mortality and cultural diff erences
that inevitably weigh on their ability
to relate in a competent and professional
manner.
It therefore becomes the responsibility
of the faculty educator to provide
group, as well as individual conference
time, that will enable the student to work
through their feelings concerning care of
the elderly individual.
Th e following statements are from
two nursing pioneers who off er their
thoughts for anyone who may be considering
the specialty of geriatric Nursing.
“Among the fi rst lessons that I learned
from working with older patients was of
patience and perseverance. I found that
if they were treated as normal human
beings and one took the time to talk
to them, and above all, listen to what
they had to say, they responded normally”
(Dorothy Moses). “I am opposed to
anyone going into the fi eld of geriatric
nursing until they have experienced the
human condition at many points vicariously
through literature and our culture
or by close observation. Th is fi eld
demands maturity since recognizing the
diversity of aging people is very important
in caring for the elderly during an
acute illness, chronic illness and wellness.
We need a broad knowledge base
and broader mind” (Mary Opal Wolin).
Here are fi ve characteristics of an eff ective
faculty educator :
1) she must be professional mature and
respected by her peers;
2) she must have mastered the numerous
challenges that professional practice
demands of her and still be engaged in
current care issues;
3) she must be in tune with the latest
evidenced-based information in Nursing
and other related professions, such as
social work and medicine;
4) she must be aware of the current
technology that will aid and secure for
her the successful practice of Nursing;
5) she must be trained in the prevailing
technology and its application so that
students can relate to it in their day to day
care of the patient.
Final thoughts – Th e profession of
Nursing, whether it be caring for an
aging and frail individual, a sick child,
or a dying soul, will forever be known
as a noble profession that cares for all
who reach out for a comforting hand
and words of hope. Th e poet, Emily
Dickinson, said it best:
“Hope is the thing with feathers
Th at perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without words,
And never stops at all.”
Th e world is in the grip of a terrible
crisis. I ask that we all heed Dickinson’s
words urging us to visualize the concept
of hope as a brighter tomorrow, a hope
that “never stops at all.”
Sheldon Ornstein Ed.D, RN, LNHA
Dr. Sheldon
Ornstein is a registered
professional
nurse with a doctoral
degree in nursing
organization. He has
specialized in the care
of older adults and has
published many articles on the subject.
He has done post-graduate work in gerontology
and has taught at several universities.
In 2013, he was inducted into
the Nursing Hall of Fame at Teachers
College, Columbia University.
and food insecurity, according to a
new research study by AARP New York.
Th e report, “Disrupting Disparities 3.0,”
found that New York nursing homes with
at least a quarter of Black and Hispanic
residents have been twice as likely to have
a COVID-19 outbreak than homes with
a less-than-5 percent Black and Hispanic
population.
“Th e pandemic and its impact on older
New Yorkers has been appalling,” said
Beth Finkel, AARP New York state director.
“In every facet of life, 50-plus individuals
and communities of color have bore
a huge brunt of COVID.”
Th e study shows that about 25 percent
of Black and Latino families were
unable to pay their rent in May, as
opposed to 14 percent of white households.
During May and June, half of
Black tenant households in New York
had fallen behind on rent.
“Disrupting Disparities 3.0” is the third
in a series of reports analyzing racial
and ethnic-based inequities and outlining
concrete solutions to level the playing
fi eld. Th e project, which began in 2018,
is a partnership between AARP New
York and the NAACP New York State
Conference, New York Urban League,
Asian American Federation and Hispanic
Federation.
On Nov. 17, directors from AARP New
York and partnering organizations held a
virtual conference to present and discuss
the fi ndings.
Reggie Nance, an AARP New York
associate state director for multicultural
outreach, noted that “more than 6,500
people have died in New York nursing
homes since the onset of the pandemic.”
Th is happens at a time when the rates
of Black people entering nursing homes is
increasing, while the rate of white people
entering nursing homes is going down,
he said.
Food insecurity, which is the limited
availability or access to adequate food,
is another major concern in the report.
“COVID-19 has signifi cantly increased
food insecurity,” said Maggie Castro, an
AARP New York associate state director
for multicultural outreach, adding that
there is a defi nite racial divide among
food-insecure adults.
Th e federal Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) provides
benefi ts and food-purchasing assistance
to reduce food insecurity, but more than
330,000 eligible New York state residents,
ages 60 and older, are not enrolled in the
program. Most of those who are enrolled
in SNAP live alone and in the pandemic,
leaving home, even for food, poses a problem
for at-risk residents.
“Disrupting Disparities 3.0” proposes
several solutions to the systematic ills
plaguing communities of color in New
York, including a housing access voucher
program for homeless New Yorkers or
those facing homelessness. It also proposes
cost-eff ective home- and communitybased
services that allow older people to
stay home, ensuring online food shopping
and delivery for SNAP recipients, as
well as guaranteed access to adequate testing
and personal protective equipment for
home health aides.
“Our goal is to make sure we’re keeping
people safe in their homes,” said Kristen
McManus, AARP New York’s associate
state director for advocacy.
Additionally, the report calls for an
independent review of New York state’s
handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes,
a long-term care task force, and an extended
moratorium on evictions throughout
the state’s entire state of emergency.
Rep. Hakeem Jeff ries (D-Brooklyn) and
Doug E. Fresh, a hip-hop artist and social
advocate, attended the virtual conference
to further discuss these issues.
“Too oft en, when New York catches a
cold, communities of color catch a fever,”
Jeff ries said. “New Yorkers need comprehensive
relief now, and we must ensure
that any relief provided will help disrupt
the racial and ethnic disparities within
our state and nation.”
“It doesn’t make me feel good to see the
conditions and people not being able to
make money and go out there and support
their families,” Fresh said. “We’re living
in a time where we have to be more
concerned about each other, not just ourselves.
We have to support each other.”
—With Maia Vines
Photo via Getty Images
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