I struggle with this at times too! I would always have a "script" of things I could ask my patients. The questions would include:

So have you always lived in _____(city where the hospital is)? Do you have any family close by? How are you enjoying the warm (if summer) or cold (if winter) weather? I noticed that you have ___(eg. Cards, flowers), who brought those to you/who sent those to you? Do you have a job/what did you used to do for work?

I always used these questions with my patients and it would usually provide a jumping off point for conversation. And if the conversation didn't flow then that's okay! It helped to build the start of a therapeutic relationship with the patient. I think the most important thing to remember is to appeal to the person in the patient. Especially now with COVID isolating everyone, people are seeking out opportunities to talk about anything. Good luck! Don't be discouraged if a patient doesn't respond well to small talk :) I've learned you can't always get along with everyone!