6/4/2020

Dearest Families,

It is during these uncertain times that we wish to assure you of our commitment and dedication. The overall wellness of our residents continue to be our utmost priority. We, the Recreation Department, remain passionate about the work we do and wanted to share with you the programs we continue to provide.

During these potentially isolating times it is our mission to keep our residents stimulated and engaged. While following the required infection control procedures we engage in activities to assure a level of enjoyment our residents have become accustom to. We provide a variety of in-person recreation programs such as 1:1 social visits to connect and ensure resident social, spiritual, and psychosocial needs are met. We regularly visit every resident with our Strolling Activity Cart filled with individual activities and supplies which range from word games and novels to craft projects and spiritual materials.

We have converted as many of our programs as possible to virtual platforms to allow theprogramming to continue while maintaining a high level of safety.

– For those residents who celebrate birthdays, we continue to make their special day a fun filled one by hosting a virtual birthday party which is shared remotely with their peers, and streamed through our in-house TV channel. Last month we had the pleasure of celebrating one of our centenarian 102 nd birthdays who along with her family being streamed remotely had a joyous moment. The Recreation Department knows the importance of family and how pivotal it is to stay connected with loved ones especially now.

– Our many community organizations and volunteers despite being unable to visit at this time remain dedicated and involved in enhancing the quality of life for our residents. They make friendly calls, our family of churches which is made up of various denominations also call and pray with our residents, providing added support.

– This past Memorial Day one of our residents hosted her weekly Zoom educational forum in which she shared patriotic stories, music, and paid homage to our veterans past and present. Every Monday residents tune in to our internal TV channel for her invigorating and informative art lectures, poetry, and short stories.

– Virtual Life Stories, a stimulating and personal program which enables residents to openly share their life stories and feelings in a safe environment continues to this day. With this interactive virtual activity our residents not only engage in conversation but connect with other residents they haven’t seen in a while, promoting a sense of community.

– Special event programs on the units with our recreation staff remain exhilarating and our residents continue to enjoy that strong bound that we share. Our unit socials occur with every holiday and for special moments – always including favorite snacks, drinks,laughter, and music.

As we learn to embrace a “new normal” our vision as we move forward from this pandemic, is to continue offering the best and safest programs possible. Soon we will start taking our residents to the backyard for social programs, interactive activities, and music appreciation all while practicing social distancing and strictly following our infection control guidelines. Our dedicated staff remains hopeful that this crisis will soon be over and we will continue to create new and joyful memories in the meantime. Thank you so very much for your support, to us you are our heroes. We look forward to seeing you once again.

Sincerely,
Christina Santos – Director of Recreation Department
Elaine Gay – Assistant Director of Recreation Department