Health

16 HE ALTH • Summer 2021 Even as Central Massachusetts eases back into pre- pandemic life, the psychological and emotional impact will linger for much longer • By Livia Gershon T he COVID-19 pandemic has affected people's mental well- being in complex, intercon- nected ways, from the loss of loved ones to isolation and dis- rupted routines. In April of 2020, 45% of American adults reported the pan- demic was harming their mental health, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. And that number The pandemic's lasting impact on mental health remained fairly steady over the year that followed. Today, many aspects of life are get- ting closer to the pre-pandemic norm, but there's still a long way to go to recover mentally from what people have been through. "This is our surge," said Lori Simkowitz-Lavigne, vice president of children's services for Worcester- based Community Healthlink Inc. "We are experiencing a surge of people calling for services for their children." Young children & the elderly suffer Simkowitz-Lavigne said she and her colleagues were active throughout the height of the pandemic, meeting with kids and families outdoors at their homes and doing telehealth appoint- ments. But, she said, today calls are at an even higher volume. Part of that is due to more children returning to school, where professionals may notice symptoms of psy- chological dis- tress. "Now the f loodgates are open as teachers and support staff have contact with them," Simkowitz- Lavigne said. She said it will probably take a while to get a grip on the problems chil- dren have been facing, partly because they may have compounded while they went untreated. Meanwhile, a shortage remains for inpatient psychiatric slots for children with severe mental health problems, particularly as healthcare facilities have closed beds to allow for social distancing or address COVID outbreaks. This situation adds to a crisis Simkowitz-Lavigne said already existed before COVID – a lack of sufficient cli- nicians and paraprofessionals to serve families and young people. There's a similar problem on the other end of the age spectrum, said Denise Tufts of Grace Aging Services LLC, which pro- vides counselling to older adults in Central Massachusetts. She said the shortage of home care aides, nurs- ing home staff and nurses was a problem before the pandemic. And, when COVID struck, many work- ers were unable to continue visiting cli- ents' homes. "During this time, it was really stressful," Tufts said. "Many of my cli- ents did not have an aide." In general, she said, older people were cut off from social contact. Family members and friends were often unable Denise Tufts, geriatic clinician for Grace Aging Services IMAGE/ADOBE STOCK.COM Lori Simkowitz- Lavigne, vice president at Community Healthlink Inc.

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