HOUSING
Pandemic success stories In a rapidly changing world, administrators, residents and families must adapt to a new normal BY JULIE KENDRICK
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n early March, Suzanne Howes had a pretty good idea about the way she’d celebrate her 81st birthday the following month: She’d spend time with family and friends, hug her grandchildren and have everyone gather in closely to sing Happy Birthday while she blew out the candles on her cake. Instead, by the time her big day rolled around in April, Howes found herself sitting in a lawn chair outside her apartment at The Legends of Woodbury, an independent senior living complex. As she fought off the early spring chill and pulled her coat a little tighter, she waved gamely as cars of well-wishers drove slowly by. There were homemade signs, bags of birthday gifts to hand over and plenty of enthusiastic honking. Beside her was a gift from her daughter, Sherilyn — a jumbo package of toilet tissue. It was a present that would have seemed ridiculous just a few weeks ago, but which was very welcome now. “It was a beautiful day, and my wonderful daughter planned it and surprised me, for which I’m so glad,” Howes said. Still, there’s no denying that a “driveby” birthday has its drawbacks. “An elbow bump isn’t nearly as good as a hug,” Howes said. These days, Howes is experiencing many “new normal” substitutions that aren’t nearly as nice as the real thing.
14 | July/August 2020 | Minnesota Good Age
▲ Catholic Eldercare resident Ellen Schneider meets with a visitor through a window. Photo courtesy of Catholic Eldercare
Instead of chatting with friends in the now closed-off common areas of her community, she spends more time alone in her apartment. Instead of participating in large group events, she takes a daily, socially distanced, walk with a neighbor. “The days are long and it can get lonely,” she said. “But there are people who have it much worse.” As challenging as the cancellation of group activities within the community has been, her daughter said it’s a huge improvement over what could be happening if her mother were still living alone.
“She’s a joiner, a real Suzy Social, and while she’s missing lots of things, at least she can see other people’s faces and talk at a safe distance,” Sherilyn Howes said. “If she were by herself during a pandemic, she’d be cut off so much more.” How to balance the risks and benefits of senior living in a congregate community is a topic that’s on the minds of many families in the Twin Cities these days. As concerned as they might be about seniors living together in close proximity, they also value many things about the arrangement, including the psychosocial benefits of interaction with other people.