For most of us, home for the holidays means a time of celebration with our friends, family, and those we hold dear to our hearts. This year, we recognize that holiday traditions may look different for all of us. While this year presented many changes, as healthcare providers, we have stayed the course with safety, health, and wellbeing for our residents and those in our trusted care.
When we reflect on this year, we can see a greater perspective of moments that became wonderful memories that ground all of us in our professions. To be entrusted with someone’s care and wellbeing is, perhaps, the greatest compliment one can give. Wouldn’t you agree?
Certainly, we were all introduced to doing things far different from what we once knew. Protocols and guidance meant we needed to love and support our residents in ways we have never experienced. While this year has seen a host of changes, Evergreen Place continued to love, care for, and support our residents and families creatively.
Residents learned how to use new social outlets to virtual visits like Facetime and Skype, and we were able to use the same platforms for . We have a significant number of residents using tablets and computers than ever before for personal use and visits with those they love. Many are now ordering online too. It is fun to see their excitement of using technology in this way for the first time and the joy that it brings.
We brought our resident families into our community with video messaging and surprised our residents with ‘Messages from home” during National Assisted Living Week. Seeing and hearing the expressions of love and the tears of joy have left everlasting footprints on our residents’ hearts and the staff who work here.
We celebrated our veterans by honoring them with their branch of service flag and a trumpet solo of their branch song played by our Administrative and Building Services Coordinator, Ryan.
Making memories meaningful is what Evergreen Place has always been about. This year, like you, we got creative to continue to build on a foundation and celebrate and love those in our care.
We have poinsettias adorning our front lobby circled around our Christmas tree representative of our resident family members. The poinsettias represent their presence in a time when we know they cannot physically be together.
Our Life Enrichment Coordinator, EJ, continued the Advent candle lighting tradition by offering it virtually to our residents from the safety of their apartments.
It is hard to believe that we soon will be closing out this year and welcoming a new one. If we reflect, perhaps we can celebrate those moments of joy and happiness, and they will far outweigh those of sorrow and even loss.
Evergreen Place has remained diligent in providing the best care, along with celebrating the lives of our seniors every day. Thank you for entrusting us with your professional referrals. We are grateful for your trust, and we look forward to welcoming more families to the Evergreen Place family very soon.
