Given the heightened risks COVID-19 poses for their demographic, the living and health care situation of many older adults has fluctuated throughout the year, but many seniors are taking the changes in stride.
“It’s been quite different this year with the pandemic and all,” says Glenda Johnson, who’s been a Parkside Village Senior Living resident since April 2019. “I miss getting out, going shopping, going to restaurants, but I’ve adjusted. It is what it is. We have to do what we have to do.”
Like its counterparts, Parkside Village, a Danbury Senior Living community in Westerville with 140 residents, shut down the community in the spring as the pandemic took hold. Temperature checks were conducted, masks were required, the dining facility closed and residents stayed in their apartments, among other changes implemented.
With 500 residents living on the 25- acre campus, plus 300 employees, Friendship Village of Dublin also shut down the community in March and April.
“It was doom and gloom (at the beginning),” says Rita Doherty, executive director of the Dublin retirement community. “COVID is really impacting every operational decision we make.”
The situation has, however, improved over the months, Doherty says. The retirement community helped seniors adjust to virtual town halls, allowed outdoor dining in the new courtyard and slowly reopened certain common areas as permitted by state officials.
“Friendship Village staff has been diligent in developing a long list of programs and services that relieve residents from the impact of social distancing and feelings of isolation,” says resident Charles Stearns.
Doherty says residents have been understanding about the circumstances, and respectful of each other including residents who may have underlying health conditions that make them more at risk for COVID-19.
“It has been most difficult for families who are divided between independent living and health care settings due to restricted visitations,” says Jean Forbes, a resident at Friendship Village of Dublin.
Over the past few months, senior communities have closely monitored Gov. Mike DeWine’s restrictions on older adult communities, easing restrictions as allowed, including allowing outdoor visits and reopening some communal areas with social distancing guidelines in place.
“We’re always waiting to hear from the Governor of what we’re allowed to do,” says Ana Vickroy, director of resident experience at Ashford on Broad Senior Living.
In addition, communities for older adults have become more creative to keep their residents engaged as the pandemic continues. For example, Parkside Village initiated homebound activities for its residents, while continuing the usual delivery of treats, such as ice cream, to their apartments.
During the early months of the pandemic, Ashford on Broad assisted its 100 residents to stay in touch with their relatives. Some of them did so using telephones, while a staff member visited rooms with an iPad to use the FaceTime application for video conferencing.
Additionally, Ashford organized a car parade for residents’ families to visit while staying in their vehicles with signs and balloons.
“We’ve been trying to think of outside of the box ideas,” Vickroy says.
As the holidays approach, communities continue to develop plans for the season, typically a time with big events that bring residents and their families together. While new holiday plans are being developed, it’s clear that some activities and events won’t be returning in 2020.
Parkside, for instance, generally hosts big events such as Breakfast with Santa and an annual charity auction that they’ve been doing since 2012, but this year they’re off the table, says Kristel Smith, the community’s director of admissions and marketing.
“Holidays are going to look different,” she adds. “We’re going to continue on our end to make it special for them.”
Ashford on Broad typically does a holiday open house, featuring live harp and piano music and ample amounts of food for guests.
“That’s probably not going to be possible this year,” Vickroy says. “We’re just keeping it one day at a time.”
Aside from the retirement community lifestyle, COVID-19 has also affected older adults living and receiving assistance in their own homes.
“We’ve taken seriously caring for the most vulnerable population in the country,” says Lori Wengerd, owner of Home Care Assistance of Columbus. Home Care Assistance provides one-on-one care for older adults wherever they decide to live.
For older adults who live in their own home, Wengerd says, their families have been advised to wash hands, wear masks, maintain physical distancing and take other precautions because of the virus. Visits have been curtailed in number, but haven’t stopped, she adds, and some families have relocated their loved ones from older adult living facilities during the pandemic.
While Wengerd’s caregivers have helped older adults with technology, not all of them have smartphones or Internet access, so virtual conferencing is not always feasible. Wengerd says gatherings of 20 or more at the grandparents’ house won’t be ideal and that families will have to get creative
The holidays, however, have been an important time for Home Care Assistance, Wengerd says, because families have longer visits with their older adult relatives and may notice health issues not normally seen throughout the year. That may spark a conversation about getting care assistance or placing them in assisted living.
Despite how hard the pandemic has been for older adults, Wengerd says it shows how important family and human contact is to the older adult community.
Brandon Klein is an editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
