State of the Community

By Jane Hull, Executive Director

The raw emotion and reality of what is happening in our world has impacted us all this year, and one of the main challenges we have faced as a community has simply been the fear of the unknown.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, we have worked hard to educate both staff and residents on everything we know about COVID-19 prevention and will continue to do whatever it takes to keep our community safe.

As a result, we have faced numerous changes in the way we normally do business in a very short amount of time. New guidelines and new policies are a constant, but our staff has embraced each of these changes and quickly adapted.

Never before has teamwork been so important, and I am proud of our staff and the dedication they demonstrate each day.    

But that doesn’t mean it has been easy.

Some of our residents have suffered the loss of a loved one and have been unable to attend funeral services or spend time with their family, so our staff has needed to step in to provide comfort and help them through the grieving process. And our team has regularly facilitated door and window visits as well as virtual visits through FaceTime and Skype to bridge the gap between residents and their families.

Moving forward, our reopening will happen by taking small steps, one at a time. As much as we would like to get back to a normal way of life as quick as possible, our main concern is doing so safely. We greatly miss the interaction with family members, visitors and volunteers and look forward to the day when they all can come inside for a visit. And, when that day does come, I know that none of us will ever again take our freedom for granted.