Dear Family:
It has been only about six weeks since The Sarah Community was accepted to join the Eden Registry, an opportunity to work with organizations from around the world in a commitment to eliminate the three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom.
In light of the events of the past weeks, that seems like a lifetime ago, and yet, we are convinced that the commitment we made to combat loneliness, helplessness and boredom is helping to guide us as we find ourselves calling on staff and residents to find new and creative ways to do this, even as we must all practice social distancing.
Under the guidance of our medical Director, Dr. Razzaque, MD, we are working diligently to assure that residents and staff adhere to the guidance set forth by the experts to contain COVID-19. But we also know that the social distancing creates a new set of challenges for residents and staff, if not just as aggressively addressed.
Under the guidance of our Director of Life Enrichment, Kelly Potter and the Life Enrichment staff, the entire team of The Sarah Community has been working to assure that residents continue to have opportunities to engage with each other and with families, to have meaning in their days and to have fun, even in the face of diversity.
Things that are happening include Hallway Bingo; use of our in-house TV station to share daily exercise, mass, movies and more; small group activities following social distancing guidelines; distribution of individual activity packets; and special events such as the Courtyard Concert being planned for April 7.
Helping residents stay connected with family and friends is also a priority for us, and ways we are doing this include chatting via Facetime, Skype or other social internet platforms (contact Merek and Travis Monday through Friday from 10am to 3pm at ext. 156 if you need assistance in setting this up); an invitation to place “yard signs” outside windows; sharing on Facebook; and of course, your cards and letters are very much appreciated.
If you have not been following us on Facebook, we invite you to join us. There you will see pictures and messages from residents, and have an opportunity to engage in the conversation. New photos and messages are added daily. We’ll also share some videos of some of the fun and creative ways we have come up with to prevent loneliness.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheSarahCommunity/posts/?ref=page_internal
Staff are doing additional 1:1 visits with residents, and we hope through these to be able to not only provide needed interaction, but to also strengthen relationships by learning more about the life stories of our residents. Though you are not able to be here in the community, we invite you to take this time to gather stories of your family member and share them with us. (Consider completing a digital Timeline of your family member’s life, being offered free through MemoryWell).
https://www.memorywell.com/family.html
As we continue to face an uncertain future, the team at The Sarah Community remains committed to serving the residents with quality and compassion.
We thank you for your support. We are confident that we will come out of this a stronger community.
Tracy Voyles
Executive Director
