Under tight NO VISITOR policies and strict Social Distancing requirements, Senior Living facilities have been faced with a unique challenge with keeping residents active. How do you do that? Administrator at Parkview Heights in Garnett, Sonya Martin, says her staff has been stepping up the creativity in order to find ways to keep boredom from taking over. She says hallway bingo, hallway group exercise and window visits from farm animals, like baby goats and horses, and even the Easter Bunny. They also sponsored a Hawaiian Day with residents wearing their Hawaiian apparel for photos and cook out. The staff has also set up facetime/phone calls with families had family window visits in which residents interact with loved ones while they’re outside looking through the windows. Martin says the physical separation hasn’t meant an increase in emotional distance, because family members have embraced creative means to interact as well, Martin says the residents have had great support from the Garnett Community, from flowers sent to all the residents, cards, snack items and Easter candy and considers it a blessing to live in Garnett.
