Applewood Our House made many adjustments in 2020. It seemed that each day was the new normal of everyday life throughout the year.
As 2019 turned into 2020, all seemed well as we were moving into a year of stability and balance. That was our goal. We planned to continue to improve the lives of our residents with an incredible engagement program, include our families in many fun activities, and make Applewood Our House the best place to work.
Our team spreads joy to our residents and shares meaningful relationships with their families. This creates the space for families and residents to enjoy each other as family while we do the caregiving.
As we entered the spring of 2020, our plans changed.
We were in a Stay At Home mandate with lockdown, which included all new regulations and requirements. Weekly, the new guidance would come out on how to handle this virus that was deadly to our residents.
Testing was becoming a way to help manage the virus, but still, everything was new and daunting. Checking for symptoms from everyone who passed through our doors, masks, social distancing, gloves, shields, and gowns were all new processes for us.
Family visitation was no longer allowed. We were concerned about our residents feeling isolated, not seeing their families.
What we did start to see with our residents was a growth in their relationships with each other and our team. Although they were not allowed to see their families, they were not isolated. It became evident that we all need each other and ways to bring purpose to our lives daily. Residents were chatting more with each other, picking up the broom and sweeping or folding laundry, and being very helpful with setting the tables.
As the summer came, the guidance for visits with loved ones morphed into window visits, virtual visits, and then a little glimmer of hope with outside visits, of course, social distanced with a table and masks in between our families and their loved ones. We continued to find fun ways to help our residents enjoy each day.
The fall had a spike in cases, and the guidance was reported via a State “Dial” steering what could and could not be done with visitation. If your county had above a certain percentage of cases, you were back in lockdown. The now bi-monthly meetings with the State Health Department and weekly updates from the Governor were our moving target of guidance. The only constant was change. More testing was now available and required weekly for residents and staff, and accuracy levels still a mixed bag.
The holiday season became a virtual celebration of our 5 Golden Rings, a week of celebrations with donations from families to create joy and warmth for our residents. Celebrations ranged from baking to bingo and carols to homemade video celebrations to share. It was special and memorable for all.
As Applewood Our House entered 2021, we had our clinics scheduled for vaccinations, which became our new hope. New guidance and reduction in cases allowed us to start indoor visitation with families scheduling visits, and still having to mask and social distance. Only one visitor is allowed at a time, but the joy of seeing our residents face to face with their loved ones has brought us another step closer to a new normal.
Stay tuned as we all welcome our opportunities to stay safe together and enjoy 2021!!
If you would like a closer look at Applewood Our House, check out our Virtual Tours.
