NURSES have learned to smile through their eyes during the coronavirus pandemic while they are having to wear masks to keep patients safe.

While a friendly face can go a long way when reassuring people with dementia, how to do just that when wearing PPE quickly became a pressing issue for a mental health nurse from the Wee County.

Emma Tyrrell, who has been in the profession for nearly 20 years and is currently a mental health nurse at a community hospital's dementia ward, this week reflected on a tough 12 months in healthcare.

For the Alva woman, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of non-verbal communication with patients, especially when they could not interact with their families with restrictions on visiting.

She told the Advertiser: "That had been a concern for us from the beginning because a lot of our work with dementia patients is based on facial expression.

"If they are not able to understand what we are saying to them, they can maybe understand that we are a friendly face.

"They can understand a smile, a happy expression and we were worried how the patients were going to react to us if we were approaching them wearing aprons and gloves and masks all the time."

However, Emma and colleagues adapted to the situation.

She said: "We just had to make extra effort to be really smiling behind our mask so it's shining through our eyes and through the way we were speaking to them, we made sure we softened our voices, adjusted our body language."

On a personal level, the support of colleagues has been "invaluable" for Emma over the past year.

She said: "Even if when I've not been intentionally looking for support, I think just seeing people outside my household has really kept me going."

In the initial months, Emma felt overwhelmed as staff were bombarded with information and updated guidance on a daily basis.

However, a "fierce sense of duty and pride to provide a service" has been keeping her going ever since.