News Worth Sharing

Senior Living Stays Positive

By Nik Edlinger on Aug 18, 2020 in News

The recent surge in coronavirus cases is nothing but troubling, but examples of positivity continue to spring from many senior living communities. In between the extra safety steps and social distancing measures, they’ve shown there’s a lot to be happy about and thankful for.

Read on for our next roundup of good news from Yardi senior living clients. We even have some closure on a story from last time. Enjoy!

Life imitating art imitating life

Back in March, the Getty Museum asked people online to recreate pieces of famous art using everyday objects and attire. Since then, thousands around the globe have taken part, including residents of American House Senior Living communities. With group activities temporarily stopped for safety reasons, the creative challenge gave residents another way to liven up their days — in style.

“This was a great program for social distancing, as each resident could participate without ever leaving their rooms,” said Darcy Santos, corporate director of life enrichment for American House. “Some of the life enrichment directors provided the residents with books or links to famous works of art online, but each resident decided on how they wanted to create their masterpiece.”

You can check out all the incredible photos on McKnight’s Senior Living.

Safe, self-contained meeting spots

Tablets and video calls are keeping many residents connected with family members, but nothing can fully replace the in-person visit. To help bring loved ones back together, PARC Retirement Living in Vancouver came up with a clever solution: pre-fabricated pods with separate entrances and a glass barrier to facilitate safe face-to-face conversations.

“At first people weren’t sure — when the pods arrived there was no signage. It was just this bright orange trailer, and they said ‘I’m not going to use that. It’s crazy,’” Jacqueline Omstead, director of operations and sales for PARC, told Senior Housing News. “Once we had the furniture inside, they were in awe … It’s been very touching for residents and staff to see residents reuniting with families. It makes you realize it’s more than a job.”

The pods are placed in an accessible location for residents, and PARC has installed washrooms outside for visitors so they don’t have to enter the main buildings. PARC plans to use these “Family Meetup Centres” for at least a year, so they’ve been designed to be weather-proof as well. Watch this video from PARC to get a view inside and hear what visiting family members had to say.

Free concerts of a professional caliber

Outdoor music has been a welcome activity for many over the past few months, but the residents at Hilliard Assisted Living, a Spectrum Retirement Community, have been even luckier. Since the start of summer, members from the Columbus Symphony has been playing regular shows out front, treating residents to jazz, blues and ragtime favorites.

“We thought this would be a great way for us to stay connected with the community and bring a little joy to a group of people who have been under many more restrictions than we have,” said Daniel Walshaw, vice president of operations for the Columbus Symphony.

Needless to say, the shows have been a hit with the community. “We have a lot of people come play here, and we enjoy it, but they normally play just for fun,” said one resident. “It’s usually just one person with a keyboard or guitar. These guys you could tell are true professionals.”

Pen pals galore

In our last positive news roundup, we shared a request for pen pals from a Victorian Senior Care community. We’re happy to report they got a response. Over 20,000 responses, actually. Since their first post went viral, Victorian Senior Care has been receiving letters from eager pen pals around the world.

“We knew it would be a good way to boost everyone’s spirits, but we never dreamed we’d get this kind of response,” said Meredith Seals, chief operating officer for Victorian Senior Care, in a Washington Post report.

They’ve received so many letters that they’ve expanded the program to include all 900-plus residents among their communities, and they’ve recruited local Boy Scouts and other community groups to help sort the incoming mail.

The residents couldn’t be happier with how things turned out. “I have really enjoyed reading about everyone and their lifestyles, and I’ve even received letters from college students,” said Sandra Stone, who lives at Red Springs Assisted Living. “One of my pen pals is only seven years old, and that just melts my heart. I feel truly blessed.”