The COVID-19 pandemic has brought so many changes, but our philosophy of care at Hillcrest Healthcare remains the same – “Everyone Matters.”
Our activity directors and all of our staff are making every effort to protect our residents and implementing social distancing, among other measures, at our three locations at West Hills, Island Home and Beverly Park Place.
“This has been a tough and stressful time but seeing the residents smile and staying positive has kept us going as an Activity Department,” said Lindsey Wilson, activity director at West Hills.
Some of the activities include hallway balloon tennis, karaoke, bingo, remote control car races in the courtyard, indoor baseball, in-room chair exercises, arts and crafts, one-on-one manicures and FaceTime with family members.
Lane Robson soaks up some sun during bingo at Hillcrest Healthcare.
“It is such a special moment to see the residents light up when they see the faces of family members and get to hear their voices,” said Sandra Maples, activity director at Beverly Park Place.
Hillcrest Healthcare is following all recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Tennessee Department of Health. To shield residents from the novel coronavirus, instead of encouraging social interaction as we usually do to bring people together, we now are required to prevent it.
Group activities have been stopped, and activity directors have restructured their programs to meet the social and emotional needs of residents while following CDC guidelines. We use “room service” door hangers so residents can choose from a variety of activities and snacks.
Hillcrest removed a bush so this family member could have window visits.
Since family members are restricted from visiting, many are having window visits with their loved ones. Island Home made sure one family member could continue to “see” his wife.
“We removed a bush outside of a resident’s window so her husband who came to visit her every day prior to COVID-19 would be able to have window visits,” said Cheryl Weaver, activity director at Island Home. “We know how much a family visit means to our residents, and we will do whatever we can to boost everyone’s spirits during this tough time.”
Lavonda Cantrell, LMSW, LNHA, is vice president of the Hillcrest Healthcare Foundation and director of marketing and special projects at Hillcrest Healthcare.