Professor discusses grief in long-term care facilities during COVID-19

Toni Miles, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor in the College of Public Health, was recently quoted in a Kaiser Health News story about grief after COVID-19, particularly in long-term care facilities.

Although some facilities hold memorials and offer grief counseling, these strategies are hardly equal to the extent of despair, which has only grown as the pandemic stretches on. This is fueling a mental health crisis in long-term care.

“There is a desperate need for psychological services,” Miles said.

She created two guides to help grieving staffers and residents and distributes them digitally to more than 400 nursing homes and 1,000 assisted living centers in the state.

The story elaborated on the hopelessness many nursing home residents are facing during this pandemic.