By Miri Hadas Koller, MBA
And so, in just one day the world has turned upside down. Retirement and nursing homes, who usually try so hard to engage with families of residents and encourage them to visit, volunteer, participate in events, are now ordered to close their doors and stop visitors from entering the homes.
This is heartbreaking, for everyone involved. For the teams in the homes, who know how much this contact with families matters to the residents. For the families who worry about their loved ones, and want to be with them. And most of all the seniors, who always look forward to these visits from sons daughters, grandchildren and friends.
A quick visit to the social media pages of retirement homes, shows that everyone involved is doing their best to keep the contact between the residents and their friends and family going.
Helpful hints:
- Homes are making their computers, tablets and phones available for video calling – Skype, Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp – you name it, they’re doing it.
- If you are not technologically inclined some family members sit outside residents’ windows and talk to them on the phone, so that they could still see each other. And just a plain old phone call also works.
- Important family events, celebrations, birthdays, are being video taped and shared with the help of the team members of the homes.
- Grandchildren our encouraged to send cards or letters to their grandparents, thankfully Canada Post is up and running.
All these, and many more ways are open to friends and families to keep in touch with their relatives in retirement and nursing homes.
Keep close and stay safe.
Miri Hadas Koller, MBA is chief executive officer of Yee Hong Seniors Living Inc.
