The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for many people, including those living in retirement facilities.
Kathy Smith, a lifestyle consultant at Parkland Retirement Living, said even though residents are part of the vulnerable population, their spirits are high for the most part.
Smith the biggest thing is trying to keep the seniors well educated about what is going on without instilling fear.
“The great thing about what we offer is it is a community of residents and they’re able to still have some interactions by practicing social distancing,” she said.
Parkland has put visitor restrictions in place to help keep the virus out of their facilities. Smith said they are working to keep residents connected with families and friends.
“We’ve actually supplied tablets for each of our wellness coaches so they can set up times with families and friends and even with residents that live in different buildings,” said Smith.
Because of the restrictions, a lot of the live entertainment which normally takes place had to be scrapped.
But Smith said they have found ways to keep their residents entertained while keeping them healthy.
“Now we’re doing things like streaming the concerts that we’re finding online and providing additional exercise classes where they can still keep their energies up but still practice that social distancing,” she said.
Smith added they have a program in place called Great Connections, which allows community members to share well-wishes with staff and residents at the facilities.
You can find more details on Parkland’s website and Facebook page.
