On Nov. 23, the Beverly Hills Health and Safety Commission recognized the work of members of the community in responding to the unprecedented public health crisis presented by COVID-19. The commission honored two doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for their work with elderly members of Beverly Hills in reducing loneliness and social isolation. The commission further acknowledged the work done by staff in administering the COVID-19 Senior Meal Program.
Commissioner Dr. Erica Felsenthal presented the Health and Safety Recognition Award to Dr. Allison Mays and Dr. Sonja Rosen for their work with the Leveraging Exercise to Age in Place (LEAP) program. The results of the program appear in an article published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Dr. Mays, the principal investigator on the study, and Dr. Rosen, co-investigator, began the program in July 2018 and ran it through March 2020, when the pandemic forced them to move classes online. Even with the interruption, the study returned promising results. The 382 participants reported a 6.9 percent decrease in loneliness and a 3.3 percent improvement in social connectedness after six months. The benefits did not disappear in quarantine. The 59 subjects who participated in virtual workouts did not see a statistically significant change in loneliness or social isolation after the implementation of stay-at-home orders.
