Senior facilities adapt to crisis
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Local senior citizens — despite not being able to see their families face-to-face in many cases — are keeping busy.
Activity directors and families of those practicing social distancing are coming up with creative ways to keep residents laughing during a tough time.
Jill Victoria, manager of Victoria House, said staff is trying to stay as active with residents as possible.
“They are just hanging out and doing what they do,” Victoria said. “We have only a small handful of residents who can participate in physical activities.
“But our staff is playing games with them and doing what we can.”
Though staff has used technology to keep families in touch, Victoria said it is difficult.
“We have a new resident who came recently and her family was not able to come to see where she would be and help her to get settled, so that has been hard,” she said. “But for the most part everyone has been very cooperative and we are trying to get through it.”
Kelly Newcomer, director of activities at Mon Valley Care Center in Carroll Township, works with her staff to keep residents calm and happy.
“We believe laughter is the best medicine,” Newcomer said. “We are trying to bring as much joy to their day as possible, all while adhering to strict medical standards.”
Though visiting has come to a halt, life is bustling inside personal care homes throughout the Valley.
“It has been tough, it is certainly strict and very different from what we, and our residents, are used to,” Newcomer said. “Right now we have no visitors, no mail coming in, no packages dropped off and are practicing social distancing inside.
“It can seem a bit strict, but we want everyone to stay happy and healthy and everyone is right now.”
While residents can’t get together for meals, bingo or cards, they have plenty to do.
From one-on-one activities inside their rooms, video chatting with family members, to group activities done 6 feet apart, laughter is regularly heard throughout the building, Newcomer said.
“We have been doing a lot of one-on-one work, which has been a lot of fun for us especially,” she said.
Recently, Newcomer talked to a resident about her childhood.
“It has been good for reminiscing,” she said. “You would be amazed at what you can learn when it is just the two of you talking.
“I found out the other day that one of our residents grew up in Germany and had not been to her hometown since she was a little girl.”
Newcomer took it upon herself to go online, research the city, print out pictures of familiar places and put together a picture book.
“She was in tears when I handed it to her,” Newcomer said. “And it was just a simple little book for her to look through.”
Though residents practice social distancing inside, they are still actively participating in group activities.
“We have been playing hallway bingo using disposable packages of Honeycombs as chips and me at the end of the hallway with a microphone,” Newcomer said. “They were very happy about not losing their bingo time.”
Last week, the staff sang karaoke for the residents, which gave most a good laugh.
“None of us can sing, so it was pretty funny,” Newcomer said.
To keep the mood light, Newcomer dressed up in an inflatable purple hippopotamus costume to deliver flowers donated by the Perryopolis Flower Shop and McShane Florist to each resident.
“We are just trying to think out of the box and keep them laughing,” Newcomer said. “I have no problem being silly and neither does my staff.”
On Friday, Newcomer plans to dress in another inflatable outfit to deliver ice cream.
Residence at Hilltop in Carroll Township is also trying to keep residents active with bingo, exercise and impromptu salon time with a staff member who has volunteered to do their hair.
“While some activities have had to stop with the social distancing, our staff is doing everything they can to keep our residents busy,” MVH Director of Patient Relations Renee Hurley said. “They are still doing bingo, exercising and a lot of art projects, but everything is at a distance.”
Staff recently played a game with residents and challenged them to find as many words as possible using the letters of a bigger word.
“They were able to find 72 words and were really excited and proud about that,” Hurley said.
Staff members are working to plan something special for the residents on Easter.
Still, not seeing their families is difficult for many seniors.
Local care centers have relied primarily on technology to help residents communicate with their families.
Mon Valley Care Center has two iPads onsite, one upstairs and one downstairs, that residents can use as often as they like to chat virtually with relatives.
Newcomer has also solicited help from the community to help keep residents entertained.
“I thought it would be fun to have parents send videos of their kids doing some of their talents,” Newcomer said. “So I have been receiving videos of kids throughout the area singing or dancing or doing magic tricks and I have been sharing the videos with the residents.
“They absolutely love seeing what our local kids are up to. It really makes them light up.”
Videos can be sent to knewcomer@monvalleycare.com.
Video chatting is also popular at Residence at Hilltop.
“FaceTiming has been a big hit,” Hurley said. “And we have been doing that as often as we can.”
While technology has made it easier for residents to keep in touch with loved ones, some families are getting creative to have “in-person” visits.
Mon Valley Care Center has had several families bring signs and other items to the windows of their family members.
“More than anything they are missing their family right now,” Newcomer said. “A lot of our residents had family who came to see them every day. So there is a void. Despite technology, it just is not the same.
“We had one family drive the whole way from Irwin to hold a sign outside of one of our resident’s windows. It absolutely made her day.
“We have another gentleman whose wife is a resident with us and he stood outside of her window with a bunch of flowers. She called him her knight in shining armor. It gave you chills to see.”
For families, it’s just as special.
Stefanie McCulloch, a Washington Township resident, took her son, Brock, to visit their grandmother, “Gigi,” at Hallsworth House in Monessen.
“It has been very difficult on both ends,” McCulloch said.
Last week, she and Brock took their dog, Syndey, to visit.
“We tapped on the window and held Syndey up and she smiled from ear to ear,” McCulloch said. “It really seemed to brighten her day.
“Rumor got around there was a dog on the property and we actually took her to a few other residents’ windows, too. It was touching to see how excited they were.”
Her mother is 89 and is aware of the coronavirus pandemic and why things are not “normal” right now, McColloch said.
“That generation has been through a lot in their lifetime,” she said. “The Depression, 9/11, all of the wars, this is a little hiccup for them. They are stronger and we can learn from them.”
While waiting for things to get back to normal and visiting hours to be re-established, staff at area care facilities continue to show up to work.
“With one more month, at least, to go, this is certainly overwhelming,” Hurley said. “But as always, the safety of our residents and staff is the most important thing to us.”
“We are trying to keep things as normal as possible,” Newcomer said. “We are practicing our own health measures inside and outside of work to keep not only our residents but ourselves safe.
“We are trying to be heroes here. Sticking it out and save the day. But our residents are troupers; the most important thing for us is that they stay well and are happy.”