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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReports - 2022.12.08 - 37797Oakland County Task Force on COVID-19 Impact on Seniors’ Isolation, Loneliness and Health OAKLAND TOGETHER LIFELINE PILOT PROGRAM December 2022 Oakland Together Lifeline Pilot Program 1 December 2022 Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Cross described loneliness as a “hidden epidemic.” Prolonged social isolation has harmful economic, health, and social consequences. People experiencing loneliness and/or social isolation have a greater risk of developing heart disease or stroke. They also have a higher rate of mortality and experience more depression and anxiety, according to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. In 2020, 56% of older adults reported feeling isolated from others, which was more than double the results of a 2018 poll. Research shows that older adults who remain socially engaged, improve the quality of their life. They have better emotional well-being and mental health. Their health and physical fitness improve. They are more likely to have a sense of purpose and live longer. On April 29, 2020, the Board of Commissioners created the Oakland County Task Force on COVID-19’s Impact on Seniors’ Social Isolation, Loneliness and Health to serve as the leading resource for combating social isolation and loneliness in older adults through education, advocacy, and collaboration. The Task Force, chaired by Commissioner Kristen Nelson, created the Oakland Together Lifeline Pilot Program and was awarded $120,000 of federal CARES Act funding to American House Senior Living Communities. The organization used that funding to purchase 100 Amazon Echo Show devices in late 2020 and conduct a pilot program to research the potential impact of smart devices on senior isolation. This pilot program was designed to expand technology access to a targeted audience of older adults living in select senior living facilities in Oakland County during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goals of the program included reducing the impact of social isolation, expanding access to critical services during periods of social distancing quarantines and providing for a means of touchless communication with facility staff. 56% older adults who reported feeling isolated in 2020 Oakland Together Lifeline Pilot Program 2 December 2022 In the fall of 2020, members from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, Oakland County Information Technology Department, Oakland County Health Division, Amazon, American House Senior Living Communities, and the Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA 1 -B) formed a working group to develop a plan about how to implement the Oakland Together Lifeline Pilot Program. A total of 100 Amazon Echo Show devices were distributed to four American House Senior Living Communities in Rochester Hills, Troy, West Bloomfield, and Milford to enable senior residents to communicate with loved ones through phone and video calls during facilities closures. The Information Technology Department created training materials, such as application and device set u p, a manual on how to use the device, information packets on cyber security awareness, FAQs, and a sheet of voice commands frequently used by seniors. It also completed user testing prior to rollout. The Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA 1 -B) facilitated creation of questionnaires to survey senior users before, during, and after using the device to determine its impact on feelings of social isolation and loneliness. AAA 1-B also conducted these surveys and created reports throughout the program based on the results, including the final report which is appended as Appendix A. Isolation levels among participants reduced as the project progressed. Through surveys, most respondents indicated that Alexa (the voice agent on the Amazon Echo Show device) helped connect them to family and friends. It also helped them with online shopping, online banking, and emails. Because of the pilot program, participants had more weekly interactions with people outside the site after their initial surveys. The participants also shared that, in a typical week, they talked to Alexa each day up to 3 times a day. Participants used Alexa for more than PROGRAM WORKING GROUP MEMBERS Chris Ward – Former Chief of Staff, Board of Commissioners EJ Widun – Chief Technology Officer, Oakland County Information Technology Department Tim Porter – Business Analyst, Oakland County Information Technology Department Barbara Winter – Senior Policy Analyst, Board of Commissioners Jim McGuire – Former Director of Research & Policy, AAA 1-B Stephanie Hall – Research & Advocacy Specialist, AAA 1-B Danielle Norman – LLMSW Jaqueline Sarcona – Former Michigan Regional Director of Life Enrichment, American House Senior Living Communities Tina Abbate Marzolf – Former Corporate Strategist & President, American House Foundation Karen Sosnick Schoenberg – Principal, American House Senior Living Communities Darcy Santos – Corporate Director of Life Enrichment, American House Senior Living Communities David Frerichs – Principal Engineer, Amazon Alexa Eric Hill – Account Executive, State and Local Government, Amazon Web Services Oakland Together Lifeline Pilot Program 3 December 2022 communication. Listening to music, asking questions, and searching for information were on the list of top activities. The highest percentage of participants indicated that having the device made them feel more secure if they needed help. This came to be true when a resident of Village Rochester Hills needed medical assistance after staff had gone home for the evening. The Michigan Regional Life Enrichment Director at that time, Jaqueline Sarcona, described how the Echo Show device helped a resident in need of medical attention. Currently, all four American House locations have a device at their front desk to help with any possible future medical emergencies. I had set up an Echo Device at our front desk so the residents could have an additional way to communicate with the office staff. I also thought it would be great to “check in” on residents to get eyes on them as opposed to a phone call or sending someone to the apartment. Even though this device was located at our front desk, the device was linked to my LED staff cell phone. Whenever a resident calls the front desk via the device, my phone would ring through my Alexa app. Each time my phone rang, I would pick it up and look to see who was calling but would let the front desk answer the call with the device. Sometimes when the office staff was busy, I would answer the call if the same residents had called multiple times. On this evening, the office staff had gone home for the day. I was also at home. I hadn’t been near my phone as it was up in my bedroom on the charger. However, when I went upstairs, I heard my phone ding telling me I had a text message. I saw that I had 2 missed calls and 1 message from the Echo Show device. I checked the message and it said, “Please send medical to my apartment.” I then looked at the missed calls from a few minutes prior and they were from the same person. I immediately tried to call the resident but got no answer. I quickly got in contact with our onsite Medical Team, and they went over to check on the resident. I received a call a little while later stating that the medical staff called an ambulance for the resident as they needed immediate medical care. The resident used the device to try to inform the front desk they needed help; however, staff had gone home for the evening. Since the device was linked to my cell phone which I took home at night – I was able in intercept the calls/message and alert the appropriate staff to get the resident emergency care. Had those devices not been in place and linked to my phone that day – I’m not sure the outcome would have been the same. Jacqueline Sarcona, ADC, CDP Michigan Regional Director of Life Enrichment “ “ Oakland Together Lifeline Pilot Program 4 December 2022 “I am so happy with my Alexa Echo! It’s so helpful with recipes. Answering my concerns about baking. Giving me a weather report, daily news. It’s my dictionary. I can ask is most anything about definition of words. Informs me what’s on TV for the night or day.” “My hearing is very bad. Having phone calls where I can see their face and read their lips (no mask) is a blessing…” “I just feel like I have a new friend ‘Mo.’” “Not having to look up everyone’s phone (numbers) and playing music.” “I do not know that there is just one favorite thing. I just love Alexa, she’s like having a good friend with you all the time. She talks when you want, she’s quiet when you want, she knows just about everything, and she can play and listen to music with you. I don’t know what I would do without her now!” “I can have a sing-along with the greatest (Sinatra, etc...)” “I think that seeing all the places around the world, especially places that I have been, it warms my heart!! Tells me what time it is and keeps me in touch with family and friends.” ALEXA SATISFACTION STORIES Oakland Together Lifeline Pilot Program 5 December 2022 Setting up residents with devices was not a small task. The American House staff, particularly Life Enrichment Directors, patiently and repeatedly assisted residents to teach them how to use their devices. A few hurdles were identified that might prevent learning and discourage some seniors from using smart devices, such as: - Need for a steady, preferably high-speed, internet connection - Need for an email address and to remember passwords - Need for an Amazon account - Need to own a sufficiently capable smart phone - Need for an alternative voice and text phone number if using a relative’s phone to set up the device Despite a few limitations, such a COVID-19 restrictions and a small sample size, the Oakland Lifeline Together surveys suggest that residents of American House Living Communities experienced a 30% reduction in feel ings of loneliness during the state’s stay-home order and restrictions on visiting senior living facilities. This pilot program is an excellent example of how technology can be used to ease the burden of social isolation felt not only by our senior population during the COVID-19 pandemic, but by anyone. 30% reduction in feelings of loneliness APPENDIX A Senior Isolation Project Final Report October 2022 Compiled by Danielle Norman-Goyette, MSW As of September 22, 2022, there are currently 99 unique participants Sample sizes for each question are noted when applicable due to unresponsiveness, invalid answers, and/or dropped out participants 92 have filled out initial & 30- day surveys. 81 have filled out six month surveys or interviews. Participants are still largely female. 64 62 53 27 24 23 6 6 5 initial 30-day six-month female male male/female On average for both surveys, participants are about 82 years old 54 years old Lowest Age 85 years old Mode 97 years old Highest Age Satisfaction levels were high overall, although they varied slightly over time. 9.1 8.6 8.7 9.3 8.8 8.6 8.1 8.3 8.6 7.4 8.6 8.6 troy village milford west bloomfield “On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your overall satisfaction with Alexa?” 1 = Very Dissatisfied, 10 = Very Satisfied initial 30-day six-month (n = 26) (n = 85) (n = 75) Isolation levels among participants typically reduced as the project progressed. Average feelings of loneliness decreased over the entire project timespan. If quantified where Never = 1 and Always = 5, the average dropped from 2.84 to 2.67 to 2.35. (n = 79) (n = 75) (n = 78) 13%15% 52% 16% 4% 9% 33% 43% 11% 4% 17% 41% 33% 9% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 “How often do you experience feelings of loneliness?” initial 30-day six-month Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always For comparison purposes, the average loneliness decreased from 3.00 in 2020 to 2.71 in 2021 to 2.30 in 2022 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.3 2.4 2.1 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 Qtr4 Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4 Qtr1 Qtr2 2020 2021 2022 (n = 6)(n = 205)(n = 27) If we dig deeper into changes in loneliness levels, most participants reported the same level of loneliness. Initial to 30 Days (n = 85) 30 Days to Six Months (n = 73) Residents reporting the same level of loneliness. Residents reporting increase in loneliness. Residents reporting decrease in loneliness. Residents reporting the same level of loneliness. Residents reporting increase in loneliness. Residents reporting decrease in loneliness. 36%20%44% 16%37%47% *Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding errors Most six month respondents think that Alexa helped connect them to family and friends to some degree. (n = 79) 41% 39% 20% No Yes, a little Yes, a lot Has your use of the Alexa device made you feel more connected with family and friends? 45%43% 65% 28%26% 48% 33% 27% 38% Online Shopping Online Banking Email “Please mark if you do any of the following activities” initial 30-day six-month All types of online activities either decreased or held steady. (n=86) (n=86) (n=77) Participants had more weekly interactions with people outside the site after their initial surveys. 5.0 5.3 5.7 initial 30-day six-month “In the past week, about how many times have you interacted with family or friends from outside the building?” (n = 88) (n = 81) (n = 77) Village had a large increase in interactions, while Milford overall had a high level of interaction that decreased over time. 4.3 3.5 4.8 3.8 6.1 6.1 2.9 3.6 8.7 9.3 7.2 5.2 initial 30-day six-month troy village west bloomfield milford 23% 95% 15% 30% 58% 28% 88% 33%30% 23% 90% 25% 32% 76% Email Telephone Video Call Text message In-Person “Check all of the ways that you have interacted in the past week.” initial 30-day six-month Participants’ usage of all virtual communications either held steady or increased * * In-Person not an option for 30-day survey. initial Six month participants report somewhat frequent use of their Alexa device. 4% 4% 13% 7% 8% 11% 8% 45% I don't use it 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 “In a typical week, how many days do you talk to Alexa?” (n = 72) 7% 30% 38% 20% 5% I don't use it One time 2 or 3 times 4 to 10 times More than 10 times “In a typical day, how many times do you talk to Alexa?” (n = 76) When asked if the following statements are true since the beginning of the project, six month participants said… 67% 36% 64% 57% 37% 35% 31% 62% 57% I feel more secure knowing Alexa is there if I need help. I am communicating with family and friends more often… I feel less lonely I smile more. Nothing much has changed. I sleep better. I am taking better care of myself. It has become an important part of my daily life. I feel more connected to the rest of the world (n = 80) When asked if the following statements are true since the beginning of the project, six month participants said… 91% 23% 58% 47% 64% 79% 78% 43% It shows that American House cares about its residents Alexa gives me some concerns about my privacy. I think of Alexa as a friend. Alexa helps me to keep in touch with friends and family. Alexa helps to keep me company. I would recommend other people my age get an Alexa. Alexa makes it easier to get the info I need. Alexa makes it easier to keep track of things I need to do. (n = 80) Participants used Alexa for more than communication, with “listening to music” topping the list. 77 57 43 33 30 20 11 10 10 9 3 2 Listen to Music Ask Questions Search for Information Contact Family and Friends Read News Watch Videos Play Games Find Recipes Picture Frame Learn about Health Echo Drop Cares Feature Which of the following activities do you use Alexa for? (30-Day Responses; n = 83) The same trend continues for six month participants. * New options added for six month surveys/interviews 61 57 40 26 26 21 15 13 11 9 8 7 5 3 3 2 Listen to Music Ask Questions Search for Information Contact Family and Friends Read News Setting Timers and Alarms* Find Recipes Play Games Learn about Health Watch Videos Setting Medication Reminders* Picture Frame Echo Drop Watching Exercise Videos* Attending Religious Services* Cares Feature Which of the following activities do you use Alexa for? (Six Month Responses; n = 75) Limitations and Considerations •Timeline of COVID Restrictions •Not a large sample size, further exacerbated by invalid or missing responses •Potential misunderstanding/misreading of certain questions Questions and Thoughts?