Pandemic Lessons: Resilience and Hope

Abstract

In the United States, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic took a heavy toll on older adults, particularly those residing in long-term care facilities who were reduced to extended periods of isolation from families, friends, and health care providers. The concepts of resilience and hope became extremely relevant in the context of pandemic-related restrictions that exacerbated loneliness across all age groups. A re-view of evidence indicates that resilience is defined as an on-going, conscious process of adaptation in the face of adversity, whereas hope is defined as a resilience moderator through its pro-cess of making sense of a difficult situation. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and life review interventions were found to effectively enhance hope, thus contributing to increased resilience in older adults diagnosed with depression, bereavement, and/or medical conditions. Mental health providers at any level of practice should assess older adults for levels of loneliness, isolation, resilience, and hope and consider interventions to boost resilience and hope.