Page 47 - BusinessWest December 22, 2021
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another, ‘I haven’t held anyone’s hand in so long.’ Social interaction is a good distraction.”
For nearly four years, Gladys Fioravanti has lived at the Arbors in Chicopee. She believes activities are an important part of staying healthy.
“If you sit in your room day after day, you start thinking too much,” Fioravanti said. “You think of your loss, then you break down and cry and need some pills to calm you down, so I think it’s good to have something to do.”
facilities, families are not yet allowed in common areas but may visit loved ones in their apart- ments, where they can eat in the unit or take the resident out for dinner. Before COVID, families could join the loved ones during activity time.
“Recently, a family member called just to ask when they can attend the activities again because they enjoyed it too,” Moran said.
All the managers praised the patience families showed during the worst days of COVID. Since
booster shot, Moran hopes to eventually see fami- lies back inside the Atrium at Cardinal Drive.
“It’s enjoyable when we have lots of people here with the residents and the families are all talking with each other,” she said. “I don’t know when we’ll be able to invite everyone back in, but I hope we eventually can because I miss them.”
Like many industries, senior care is always looking to add more staff. Still, Jones noted, while the Arbors had some challenges, staffing is not a big issue.
“We have several staff members who have been with us for more than 20 years,” she said. “We will always have turnover, but we also have a core of stable employees, so that’s a real positive.”
During the height of COVID, Moran hired a number of Harbor Universal Associates (HUAs) to accommodate residents who may want coffee before 9 a.m. when breakfast is served. By hav- ing this extra staff person to help and engage with residents, Moran can offer what she called paral- lel programming.
“We may have one main activity going on
in the center of the room, while several smaller groups are doing what they want around the perimeter,” she said. “The HUAs provide that added level of support for our residents who want to do their own thing.”
When a family comes to visit a new resident, Jones said, her goal is to be able to tell them, “your mom is busy right now.”
Ultimately, she added, all the activities avail- able for seniors creates what she called a healthy distraction. “It beats having dinner with Pat and Vanna every night.” u
“It’s enjoyable when we have lots of people here with the residents and the families are all talking with each other. I don’t know when we’ll be able to invite everyone back in, but I hope we eventually can because I miss them.”
the beginning, Cornwell said, they have educated families on the latest pro- tocols and good safety habits. “And we’re still educating them.”
The use of iPads and other tablets were a key to connecting families with their loved ones when no visitors were allowed. Cornwell said
    She takes part in a number of activities because they keep her busy, but not too busy.
“I like the exercise class in the morning fol- lowed by the Mass right after,” she said. “After exercise, the Mass allows you to cool down.”
One afternoon, Fioravanti was sitting in the library area with several friends, including Claire Henault, whom Fioravanti met at the Arbors.
“We play cards together,” Fioravanti told Busi- nessWest. “We cheat together — I mean, Claire cheats.” At which point Henault chimed in, “I can’t be cheating because I never win.”
Moving Toward Normalcy
While residents are free to move around their
Kimball Farms parent Berkshire Healthcare Sys- tems invested in tablets so residents could speak to family members on Skype or FaceTime. Even for residents who were aphasic and had trouble with verbal communication, that connection was still important for all involved.
“Even if the resident couldn’t verbally express their feelings, they could at least see the faces of their loved ones and hear their voices,” Cornwell explained. “Family members were able to see the resident’s smile and maybe even some blush on their face when our care attendants would put some makeup on them to help them look beauti- ful for the camera.”
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