16 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 01.21
M
avis McCollam looks forward to the
Country Meadows lifelong learning
broadcasts, including a new series
on world cultures. Shows delve into
people and architecture. A monthly meal ties into
the featured country.
"Roast duck," she said of the previous night's
Denmark-inspired dinner. "Some kind of potatoes.
And then a Danish rice pudding, which was
different from ours but was very, very good. It has
almonds in it."
ere's a lot of living going on inside the midstate's
retirement communities and group homes. When
COVID-19 restrictions shut the doors for most
non-residents except employees, it set off a constant
churn to ward off isolation and keep residents
engaged, connected and active.
"ey cannot hug anymore," says Teri Gotti
Szubinski, psychotherapist with PinnacleHealth
Psychological Associates of Pennsylvania at UPMC
in York. "ey cannot even hug their loved ones.
ey cannot even hug nurses or caregivers. ey are
completely tossed to the side. at's a hard thing to
comprehend when you wake up in the morning and
all this is going on, and there seems to be no end."
e solution, as facility officials figure so far, is
multi-dimensional. FaceTime family visits. Hallway
happy hours. Closed-circuit exercise sessions.
Hardee's takeout. Quiet prayer. Spiders and lizards.
More on the creepy-crawlers later.
CONNECTIONS
No family visits. No entertainers. No volunteers
spreading cheer. At the midstate's residential
facilities, the creativity caps are worn 24/7 to fill the
activities void.
At Paxton Street Home, two "dear, dear ladies"
host monthly tea times. Residents sip tea and nibble
CARE &
CONNECTIONS
Despite COVID, life goes on in
area nursing and personal care
homes as staff, residents adjust
to fight fear, isolation.
BY M. DIANE MCCORMICK
