Page 46 - BusinessWest December 22, 2021

“This is where senior living provides much more physical movement than if the person was at home,” she added, “where a caregiver brings them a meal and they might not leave their chair all day.”
Activities involving music are popular in every senior-living setting. While singers are not yet allowed in most places due to COVID-19 con- cerns, Cornwell said it’s a form of therapy when violinists, pianists, and other musicians come to play.
“Studies show music touches a part of the brain and leaves a positive impact,” she noted. “Music goes a long way toward self-care and helps people feel better about themselves.”
“Once they could leave their rooms again, I heard one woman say to another, ‘I haven’t held anyone’s hand in so long.’ Social interaction is a good distraction.”
Jones credits her activities staff for finding an innovative way to include singers into music per- formances while still following COVID mandates.
“We had singers outside in the courtyard area while the residents gathered in the library with the doors open so they could see and hear the entertainment from a safe distance,” she said.
As mandates continue to gradually ease, every- one who spoke with BusinessWest expressed grati-
tude for all the difficult work the staff at senior- living communities performed during the worst days of the pandemic.
At the height of COVID, residents were essen- tially quarantined in their apartments, so staff at each facility made an extra effort to stay engaged with them.
“Our resident-care attendants and activity teams all turned into nail technicians, hairdress- ers, and personal stylists,” Cornwell said. “They did everything to keep residents looking good, feeling good, and feeling like someone cared.”
At the peak of the pandemic, when frequent temperature taking was essential, staff would dress up as a lion or some other whimsical cos- tume just to get a laugh out of the residents.
One common practice at several facilities involved opening apartment doors and encour- aging residents to socialize from the entrance of their unit. Staff would also use the hallway as the focal point for a bingo game and, in one instance, as a socially distanced bowling alley. “All the staff found creative ways to keep things social,” Jones said.
Added Cornwell, “the pandemic has been dif- ficult and extremely challenging. Our residents rallied, and I give our staff 100% props for their out-of-the-box thinking to keep people safe and engaged.”
Before vaccines were available and while COVID was rampant, Todd said patients at the skilled-nursing facility at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing could not have any visitors in their rooms. Fortunately, that unit is located on the first floor.
“Families were able to visit their loved ones through the window and could communicate by
Residents at Kimball Farms engage in tai chi.
phone or iPad through the glass,” she explained. “We wanted to address social isolation while at the same time keeping everyone safe.”
Without that effort to engage with residents, the lack of socialization can quickly lead to depression, Jones noted. “Once they could leave their rooms again, I heard one woman say to
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