Mental Health During COVID 19: Daily Struggles

The phone rings. Nobody answers. The hospice patient hasn’t received visitors for weeks. This scene played out countless times as mental health during COVID 19 challenged patients, caregivers, and families. Lockdowns, visitation restrictions, and health fears created unprecedented barriers to end-of-life care. In this article, we want to share experiences and approaches that helped our hospice patients and caregivers manage emotional well-being during these difficult times. 

What Happened When Life Stopped?

Remember bedside visits? Family gatherings at a patient’s home? Holding hands without barriers? These essential moments of hospice care changed dramatically, leaving gaps where human connection once provided comfort. Many patients found themselves facing serious illness with limited physical support, while families struggled with the pain of separation during the precious final days.

This sudden restructuring of hospice care hit hard. “Mom was in hospice before the pandemic, but we never imagined saying goodbye through a window.” Simple comfort measures like hand-holding became complicated. Every interaction required careful consideration of safety.

Sleep patterns suffered too. Patients reported both increased anxiety and feelings of isolation as their support systems were disrupted. These changes weren’t just uncomfortable – they signaled serious shifts in COVID and mental health patterns among those receiving end-of-life care.

Unexpected Challenges That Emerged

Hospice care fundamentally centers on human connection, making pandemic restrictions particularly devastating. “The physical presence of loved ones is often the best medicine we can offer,” noted a hospice nurse. “Suddenly, that was limited or unavailable.” This disruption to the core philosophy of hospice care required completely new approaches to providing comfort.

Financial and logistical worries compounded emotional strain. Family members who previously shared caregiving responsibilities couldn’t rotate shifts or provide respite for primary caregivers. Existing mental health conditions intensified under this pressure for both patients and caregivers. Depression deepened. Anxiety accelerated. Grief became more complicated without traditional supports.

Many hospice families faced impossible situations – adult children unable to visit dying parents, spouses separated during final days, and patients passing without beloved faces nearby. During these extraordinarily difficult circumstances, a hospice social worker became an essential lifeline, helping families navigate both anticipatory grief and pandemic restrictions when traditional support systems couldn’t function. These professionals quickly adapted their practice to provide vital emotional support through phone calls, video chats, and occasional distanced visits when possible.

The constant risk calculations drained mental energy for everyone involved in hospice care. Is this visit necessary? Could this expose my vulnerable loved one? How do we balance safety with comfort? These questions represented a new emotional burden on mental health during the pandemic, creating additional strain during an already difficult time.

Daily Coping Mechanisms That Helped

Small, consistent actions helped hospice patients and caregivers maintain emotional balance during pandemic restrictions. These practical approaches made a significant difference:

• Window visits and outdoor connections: Families set up chairs outside patient rooms, using phones to talk while maintaining visual contact through the glass
• Consistent communication schedules: Fixed daily call times created predictability and something to look forward to when in-person visits weren’t possible
• Nature engagement: Positioning beds near windows, bringing fresh flowers, or setting up bird feeders outside patient rooms connected those confined to beds with the outside world
• Music therapy adaptations: Playing favorite songs through open windows or setting up music players with personalized playlists
• Memory sharing: Creating and sharing photo slideshows digitally that could be viewed repeatedly
• Comfort items: Providing items with familiar scents or textures that could be sanitized and brought to patients
• Spiritual connection: Chaplains conducting prayers through speakerphones or outside windows when in-person spiritual care wasn’t possible
• Simplified technology: Using easy one-touch video calling systems specially designed for those with limited technical experience
• Creative physical comfort: Teaching family members simple hand massage techniques via video chat that they could guide patients through remotely
• Letter writing campaigns: Organizing friends and family to send physical cards and letters when they couldn’t visit in person 

These approaches helped maintain mental health during COVID 19 pandemic by preserving human connection despite physical barriers. Hospice teams found that combining several strategies created the most effective support system for both patients and their loved ones during these unprecedented challenges.

Who Was There When No One Else Could Be?

Mental health services for hospice patients and caregivers adapted quickly, transitioning to telehealth platforms. This shift actually improved access for some hospice families, eliminating transportation barriers during an already stressful time. Some family members who lived far away could finally participate in family counseling sessions through video platforms.

Hospice organizations responded with innovative solutions. Volunteer phone check-in programs paired isolated patients with regular callers. Chaplains conducted spiritual support sessions through windows or via speakerphone. Volunteer coordinators organized contactless meal delivery and essential item drop-offs for homebound patients and exhausted caregivers.

For those needing hands-on help, a personal care assistant became an even more critical component of hospice care, providing both essential physical care and human connection when family couldn’t visit. These professionals went beyond basic tasks to become emotional anchors for patients experiencing isolation during their final journey.

Online bereavement groups flourished, connecting people experiencing complicated grief during the pandemic. These virtual gatherings acknowledged the unique pain of restricted goodbyes and limited funeral gatherings. Many participants found validation and healing through sharing their experiences of loss during such unprecedented times. These connections proved vital for maintaining mental health during COVID-19 when traditional grief supports were unavailable.

What Did We Learn About Ourselves?

The pandemic revealed both challenges and unexpected strengths in hospice care. When physical presence was limited, hospice teams discovered new ways to create meaningful connections between patients and loved ones. Window visits, outdoor gatherings, and technology became tools for preserving the essence of compassionate end-of-life care.

Hospice professionals demonstrated remarkable flexibility and creativity. A music therapist conducted sessions through open windows. A massage therapist taught family members simple hand massage techniques via video. A bereavement counselor organized drive-by memorial processions to honor deceased patients when funerals weren’t possible.

Perhaps most importantly, the hospice philosophy of focusing on quality of life rather than quantity proved more relevant than ever. When external circumstances limited certain types of interaction, hospice teams redoubled efforts on the comfort measures still within reach. This unwavering commitment to patient dignity and comfort represents the enduring strength of hospice care for mental health during COVID-19 pandemic.

The adaptability of hospice mental health support demonstrated that barriers to care weren’t as fixed as previously thought. Teletherapy for bereaved family members, once considered inferior to in-person support groups, proved effective for many people. This discovery may permanently expand access to grief support for family members unable to attend in-person sessions long after the pandemic ends.

How Do We Heal Now?

The mental health impact of COVID-19 on hospice care continues to shape how we support patients and families during life’s final chapter. Through these shared experiences, we’ve learned that while physical presence remains profoundly important, human connection can find its way through even the tightest restrictions. Simple daily practices – consistent communication, creative adaptation, and unwavering compassion – preserved the essence of hospice when traditional approaches were limited. Most importantly, mental health during COVID-19 taught hospice providers that the core mission of providing comfort and dignity at life’s end remains achievable even amid unprecedented challenges.