Life in “Lock Down”

As we all learn to adjust to the changing lifestyle we are living, here at Bartlett Woods our #1 priority is to keep our residents, your loved ones, healthy and happy.

This means, we have closed our facility to visitors.  All staff members are screened daily to make certain we are symptom free and we are washing our hands many, many times per day.
I’m sure you are wondering what the Activities Department does when the residents are all confined to their apartments.   Rest assured, we are here every day and interacting with your loved ones each day. Daily we go to each apartment with some sort of goody.  On St. Patrick’s Day we brought them each an Irish coffee and Shamrock cookies! On other days we have brought them each a little bag of hard candy and chocolate, we have also made popcorn.  Along with the treats we are offering jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, word search, Sudoku, cryptograms and word scrambles. We are also checking books out of the library for them, offering DVD’s to watch and in some cases just visiting so they aren’t lonely.

We have lined up some music entertainment that will take place outside that they can enjoy on their balconies.  When the weather warms up, we will offer more outside entertainment.

We have played “Hallway Bingo” and have other “Hallway Activities” planned.  These events allow them to sit in their doorways and safely socialize with their neighbors.

Playing Bingo Bingo from a distance Winning at Bingo

We have also set up schedules for residents to go outside for short walks.

With our spring snow, we made a couple of snowmen for them to enjoy!

Building SnowmanMaine winter snowman

Life is certainly different then what we are all used to, but we are doing our part to slow the curve.

There will be no April Activities calendar on the website, please accept our apologies. We are planning activities day by day at this point, but rest assured we are all practicing social distancing.  The Activities Team personally sees each resident daily and makes certain they are content.

While we have our departments we work within, we are all one big team.   This means everyone pitches in where needed. This week Activities has been on trash duty as well as helped deliver snacks from the kitchen, but I promise we washed our hands in between. ☺

While we work hard to keep our residents safe and healthy, we wish the same for all of you.

 

Thank You

Karen Tooley

Activities Director

March 2020

We can only hope the “Luck ‘O the Irish” is on our side this month and brings spring early for us! While we have had a rather mild winter, for Maine, it’s still been long enough and we are ready to get outside and enjoy some fresh air!
Until Mother Nature decides to play nice, we are keeping busy inside here at Bartlett Woods. We are having so much fun with our new games “Wheel of Fortune” and “Concentration” and this month we will be adding “Jeopardy” to the mix. This is one the residents have asked for and we are excited to bring it to them. We are also bringing back a game we haven’t played for awhile…Wii Bowling! Always something to keep us moving and having fun!
We have a very creative bunch of residents and they enjoy trying different crafts whether it is clay, paint, knitting, Origami they enjoy it all. This month we will try our hand at painting mandalas. According to Wikipedia: A mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols with a very different application. In modern, typically American and European use, “mandala” has become a generic term for any circle ornament which can be used as a relaxing tool, for diagnostic or in art therapy.

We are excited to see the designs they create.

Bartlett Woods Art

While we often have dogs visit us here, we have never been part of a dog reaching his goal of becoming a certified therapy dog. On March 6th, we will be part of the test for “Clio”, a Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix as he performs his last test to obtain his certificate. He will be joined by “Jeepers”, a Portuguese water dog, who is already certified. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for Clio!
We have been very fortunate to have a trainer from Penobscot Bay YMCA come twice a week for as long as I can remember and even before that. Victor comes every Tuesday and Thursday morning, usually to packed room, and really gets our resident’s blood pumping and feeling energized. He has become part of the family here and our residents have asked if we could have him more often. Victor was more than willing to do that, therefore, starting this month; Victor will be here on Saturday mornings as well. We still have our chair yoga classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday too. Six exercise classes a week!! It’s the perfect way to start each morning.
One of those random days we like to celebrate here is” National Plant a Flower Day”! Who doesn’t want a pretty flower for their table? It is sure to bring smiles as we watch them grow.
Of course the big day for March is St. Patrick’s Day! Every year we try to come up with a new way to celebrate this fun holiday. This year, we will enjoy a little “Irish Coffee” while enjoying the music and dancing of the hit River Dance! If that doesn’t make you feel Irish, nothing will!
The first day of spring just makes everyone want to get outside! We are gambling that Mother Nature will provide us with a beautiful spring day on March 19th so we can enjoy our fist “Walking Group” walk of 2020.
Representative Pinny Beebe-Center is serving in her third term in the Maine House of Representatives. She serves on the State and Local Government Committee and represents Rockland and Owl’s Head. We are excited to welcome her to Bartlett Woods on Saturday, March 21st @ 2:00 pm. She will give an update on what is happening in Augusta, as well as answer questions. This event is open to the community; we would love to have you join us.
We also will welcome back Michael Perry, one of our favorite travelers. Michael loves to travel as much as he loves to share his journey with us. He will be here with his amazing photos and stories from his travels to Copenhagen and Greenland. This is one we all look forward to.
Along with all these great events, we also have our, movies, games, shopping trips, dinning out, discussion groups, scenic rides, cocktail hours and just plain fun. Whether it’s sitting by the fire with a friend, enjoying a good book in the library, or taking in one of our great events…we will save a seat for you!

Karen Tooley
Activities Director