A Hopeful Future: Adapting, Learning, and Succeeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic By Steve Bahmer, LeadingAge Florida President & CEO

John Knox Village President and CEO Gerry Stryker (left) shows his gratitude for members of the Home Health Agency.

A Hopeful Future:

Adapting, Learning, and Succeeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Steve Bahmer, LeadingAge Florida President & CEO

The activities look different. Masked, and more distant, sometimes spann ing thousands of miles of high-speed fiber, and sometimes separated only by the beauty of a southwest Florida lake.

“Throughout the past 100 days, we have surprised ourselves by living fully, staying active, and finding interesting things to do—pandemic or no pandemic,” said Bunny Nesbit, a member at The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch in Sarasota.

“We’ve painted some amazing works of art, we’ve written some zany poetry, and we’ve exercised by our gorgeous Center Lake, all the while wearing our masks and maintaining social distancing,” she said.

Since the first known case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States in mid-January, the term ‘social distancing’ has become common parlance, and masks have become a necessary accessory for LeadingAge Florida members and their residents.

Those precautions, and so many more, comprise a reimagining of services and service delivery in the midst of a virus outbreak that is most threatening to seniors and continues to spread rapidly after the Fourth of July holiday.

“I think I can truthfully say that this has been the most terrible and most inspiring time in my career,” said Tim Ficker, Executive Director of Cypress Cove in Ft. Myers.

“It is, at once, overwhelming and uplifting,” Flicker said. “This pandemic elicits some of the deepest expressions of fear and the greatest acts of courage by both residents and staff. I cannot imagine a time in the history of our field when our mission of holistic care with dignity and choice has been so important.”

In This Together

The transition from open communities of care bustling with activity to safe havens fortified against the virus began shortly af

To our LeadingAge Florida members and all those who are caring for seniors during this very challenging time, we wanted to take a moment to offer our sincerest thanks. We are truly grateful for you, and for all you are doing to keep your residents and your teams healthy and safe.

You have our deepest respect and our full support.

A Cypress Cove resident enjoys seeing friends and family through the use of technology.

ter news broke about the first COVID-19 case in the United States.

LeadingAge Florida members quickly instituted screening protocols at their entrances, established COVID-19 response teams, instituted mask policies for staff, restricted visitation, closed dining rooms, pools, and gyms, and set up COVID-19 isolation units to keep the virus off their campuses and to prevent its spread if it broke through.

Meanwhile, members also rethought many of the long-cherished social elements of life in a senior living community, including communal dining and group activities.

“Our employee dining room was reorganized so that there is only one chair at each table to encourage social distancing,” said Rob Goldstein, CEO of Menorah Manor in St. Petersburg.

While many of these measures necessarily limited staff and resident interactions, members went to great lengths to ensure that services were delivered and to prevent isolation and loneliness.

“We wanted to make sure that our members understood that they are not alone,” said Jim Cater, CEO of The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch. “We are in this together. Our staff is there for them, and they are there for each other. We encouraged people to reach out and be neighborly.”

With that in mind, staff and members in his community worked on ways to stay connected.

Ben Turoff, Director of Member Life and Events at The Glenridge, implemented a shopping service run by volunteer staff who handled grocery shopping, prescription pick-ups, and dry-cleaning drop-offs and pick-ups, among other services. The Glenridge also delivered three meals a day, at no charge, to members’ homes. And for a special no-contact surprise, bags filled with “information and fun stuff” were hung weekly on members’ doorknobs.

Inevitably, technology became a central feature of communities’ plans to communicate with residents, and to help residents and their families stay connected as well.

“We broadcast activities over our inhouse TV system, which the residents can view in their rooms,” Goldstein said of Menorah Manor’s efforts. “Our director of spiritual care uses this technology to broadcast religious services, inspirational lectures, and readings. We have partnered with a local musician who has the capability to livestream performances from their in-house studio to our television system.”

Since March 5, Ficker has been delivering messages to Cypress Cove residents and their families via the community’s TouchTown TV station, providing updates on prevention and mitigation efforts. His healthcare activities staff also pivoted to a technology-based approach, facilitat

Staff at Menorah Manor show off the meals they received from a local business as a thank you for all the hard work that they do.

“With all the apps that are available, you our guests in an uncomfortable position of can be in direct contact with family and having to decide whether or not to attend,” friends,” Nesbit said. “You can talk to them, Goldstein said. see them, play games with them; the list is In the end, more than 300 people attendendless. There are also loads of educationed the virtual event, which featured a rap al opportunities available on YouTube, as video that was produced pre-COVID, as well well as local Sarasota arts programs from as a Heroes video that highlighted Menorah groups like the opera, symphony, ballet, Manor’s frontline employees. And the comand theater.” munity surpassed its fundraising goals. COVID-19 has affected all aspects of “This uplifting event created tremenLeadingAge Florida member communities, dous goodwill for our organization during including forcing them to rethink some of this difficult time,” Goldstein said. their own traditional events. Annual fundraisers provide additional financial reCaring for Caregivers sources that help senior living providers For providers, fighting COVID-19 has Another day, another opportunity to serve residents! deliver the highest-possible quality of care. been a two-front war from the very beginWhile maintaining social distancing and practicing But the elimination of large gatherings ning: keeping residents safe and healthy, HEROES WORK ing nearly 2,000 virtual visits between residents and family members around the world. Although there is no replacing in-person visits and other social activities, Glenridge member Bunny Nesbit and her friends credit meant that members had to consider foregoing their annual fundraisers and dealing with the resulting financial hit. After cancelling its Bucket List Ball, originally scheduled for mid-April, Menorah Manor found a way to host its annual gala in June, despite the persistence of the virus. “As the pandemic rapidly unfolded, the and keeping the heroic staff who care for those residents safe and healthy as well. Across the state, LeadingAge Florida members implemented numerous strategies to ensure their employees had the resources they needed to continue providing high-quality resident care. In the early days of the pandemic, that often meant providing hard-to-get supplies and other resources. safety measures, staff at Harbour’s Edge delivered ice cream treats to all of their residents. Spirits are high at Harbour’s Edge! the internet and online socialization with decision was made to pivot to a virtual Goldstein said Menorah Manor offered helping them stay connected. event, to be safe and to eliminate placing toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant,

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and bleach to employees at the community’s his community began providing free daycost at a time when the paper goods shelves in care at a nearby childcare center in late grocery stores were bare. The St. PetersburgMarch for children between the ages of 6 Across the state, based community also provided free hand months and 14 years. sanitizer and cloth masks to employees to LeadingAge Florida take home to protect them and their families. A Hopeful New Normal “We have tried to be as supportive of our emFive months after the first known case members implemented ployees as possible,” he said. “Many members of COVID-19 in the U.S. and fully three of our community have also stepped up and months into new protocols that include numerous strategies to provided catered meals for our entire staff.” restrictions on visitation in nursing homes At Cypress Cove, Ficker said his community and assisted living facilities, it remains ensure their employees also provided food for employees. All staff on unclear what ‘the new normal’ in senior all shifts were offered free to-go lunches twice living will look like. had the resources they a week. And to provide additional help, the Until there is a vaccine, it will likely incommunity’s Employee Emergency Assistance Fund raised $142,000 in about three weeks, clude the masks, screenings, staggered meal times, and social distancing that have become needed to continue and then distributed those funds to 320 staff members in gifts ranging on average from $540 so familiar. Indeed, activities may continue to look different. providing high-quality WORK HERE to $2,500. Those funds provided employees with much-needed support. But a statewide stayat-home order that resulted in the closure of daycare centers put further pressure on caregivers and other senior living staff who rely on childcare services so they can get to work. Cypress Cove stepped into that breach on Throughout the pandemic, though, LeadingAge Florida members have consistently adapted and innovated to ensure resident and staff safety above all else, and to hold fast to their missions of delivering the highest-quali ty care to Florida seniors. “Looking back on these past few months, I can’t say enough about the resiliency and Jim Cater from The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch. “We’ve all learned to embrace uncertainty, use knowledge to overcome fear, adjust to new ways of living in a world full of unknowns, and resident care. behalf of its employees as well. Ficker said dedication of our members and staff,” said remain hopeful for the future.”

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