Life looks different

Life looks different these days doesn’t it? Life at Bartlett Woods is different, but still good. While it’s true we are still under a “shelter in place” order and our residents are confined to their apartments we are good.

Its difficult being isolated from family and friends, but it’s a good feeling to know our residents are safe. They are well fed, cared for and most of all, loved by all of the staff.

Can I just take a moment and talk about this incredible staff? These men and women who come in everyday with smiles on their faces and caring in their hearts are just phenomenal! They are truly caregivers in every sense of the word. From our executive director all the way down through resident care staff, kitchen staff, administrative staff, housekeeping, activities, maintenance and even our transport driver. The caring and compassion of everyone is palpable. Our residents are the driving force behind everything we are doing. There is nothing we won’t do to keep them all safe and healthy.
The staff truly cares about everyone; therefore, we have made it our mission to keep ourselves out of the public in order to reduce the risk of contracting the virus ourselves and in turn bringing it to work.

While sometimes the days may seem long for our residents, we are offering as much enrichment as we safely can. We have increased our supplies of crossword puzzle books, word search books, Sudoku books and are offering to retrieve books from our library as often as they would like.
The activities team goes to each apartment daily to see what they might need or want. It also gives us a chance to just say “Hi!” and chat for a few minutes. Of course we are wearing masks and keeping the 6 ft distance.

When the weather cooperates, we encourage our residents to enjoy their balconies and soak up some Vitamin D.

We all look forward to the day coming when the virus is no longer a threat and we can emerge from our homes and enjoy the company of family and friends.
The question remains: what will life look like after the virus? Will we go back to where we were or do you think perhaps we have found that there are things we can live without and things we must have in our lives? Let’s hope we are better, stronger, smarter and more compassionate when that day comes.
All of us at Bartlett Woods hope you are all staying home, staying safe and enjoying your time with family.

Karen Tooley
Activities Director