Social isolation and feelings of loneliness are not uncommon amongst seniors, but they pose a great danger to their health and well-being. The National Institute on Aging notes that “Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death.”
To avoid these risks, it’s important that seniors have meaningful connections and pastimes to keep them engaged and active with their community. However, as we are facing unprecedented times in senior living during the COVID-19 pandemic, residents are experiencing social isolation in a whole new way. We need to be creative and provide residents with different things to do that bring them joy and connections.
One way to do this is to reconnect seniors with the music they love. Ron Frizzel, former CEO and owner of a 15-radio station group set out to do this years ago. He started to curate playlists specifically for seniors over 70 years old. Senior living communities played these playlists for their residents and the results were amazing. “When this music re-enters their lives, they love it, listen for long periods and thank the communities that bring it back,” explained Frizzel.
Since seniors loved this music being brought back into their lives, it was a no-brainer for Status Solutions to partner with Frizzel to create CATIE Radio. CATIE Radio is a complete radio station dedicated to seniors over the age of 70, composed of music that has been auditorium tested and researched with senior citizens. Using these tests and research, Frizzel has found the music that seniors love best: the music of their lives. This music is accompanied by experienced hosts that engage with your residents, giving CATIE Radio both personality and its authentic radio station feel.
Not only does CATIE Radio reconnect seniors with the music they love, but it provides them with valuable companionship: “I live alone in my apartment, my wife lives in skilled nursing, and there’s a comfort level of hearing the music from CATIE Radio play. Rather than silence in my apartment, I feel that CATIE Radio is really soothing and I do appreciate having it there,” says F.R. Morris, resident at Garden Spot Village.
Providing your residents with CATIE Radio is easy and it’s these simple things that can make all the difference to a resident, especially when it comes to combating loneliness and social isolation to protect seniors’ health and quality of life.
CATIE Radio is available through CATIE Web, a resident engagement solution that Status Solutions is offering free of charge to any senior living community that needs it to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. With CATIE Radio, you can include messages directly from staff at your senior living community, so whether you want to inform your residents of news, health facts, or important updates, CATIE Radio helps keep residents engaged and in the loop.
In uncertain times the best thing we can do is offer each other comfort and joy, and what brings more joy than the music we love? It holds memories and makes us feel connected to something outside of ourselves. Reconnecting your residents with the music that was once such an important part of their lives is a true gift. So let’s give residents something to dance about.
Danielle Myers serves as general manager of Status Solutions and has held various positions within the mission-based organization for the past 12 years. She is responsible for day-to-day operations with an emphasis on sales programs. Her expertise includes working with customers in senior living, healthcare, education, manufacturing, hospitality and government to design, deliver and maintain solutions for integrated alarm management and automated mass notification.
