When the pandemic hit our area, it forced our center and centers all over Pennsylvania to close. The effect it had on our caregivers and our clients was extraordinary. We received the e-mail on a Thursday afternoon in March 2020 that our Adult Day Care Center and centers like ours were mandated to close end of business that day. We scrambled to write e-mails and make phone calls to all the caregivers and clients we supported as well as the agencies that relied on our services. When we closed that day, my staff along with the caregivers that use our services believed we would return to normal in two weeks.
Caregivers were incredibly supportive of the close of the center and for the first two weeks many families could work together and support their individual. As March turned to April, we realized our center wasn’t going to be able to open for a while and we needed to figure out a way we could support our caregivers and clients that no longer had the option of attending our program every day. Many of our caregivers needed to work and even though they were able to work from home at this time due to the Coronavirus it was difficult to care for their loved one and work at the same time. Caregivers also had their normal responsibilities like running errands, taking care of their households, cooking and raising kids. Routine and stability are two things that caregivers rely on greatly to keep their households running, and not knowing what the future held was very stressful on all of us.
In late March one of the first programs we began offering was “Operation Sunshine”. We reached out to all our caregivers to ask if they would like to participate in “Operation Sunshine”. We had 8-10 staff that were interested in corresponding with clients through e-mail. Everyone could share pictures, stories, videos, and activities with each other. We had over thirty caregivers and staff interacting through this program. This was a great way for us to stay connected and see how everyone was doing. Many of the caregivers and staff shared what they were doing at home which gave us all ideas of things we could do with our individuals at home. Activities ranged from baking, to virtual trips to zoo’s and Long Wood Gardens. One staff along with her children used their creativity and decorated their sidewalks with chalk art. Another shared her chicks that she is raising on her property while my son Rory set up his painting studio on our deck. Each week we would meet as a group on zoom, it was great to see everyone and to see how each client was doing. The zoom program was beneficial to clients that thrived on the social aspects of our program, you could see it in their faces once they heard familiar voices and saw their faces.
At the end of March beginning of April, we began a program where our staff worked remotely with our clients that live at home with their families. Staff and caregivers have learned how to use zoom so that they are able to interact with each other. Cooking demonstrations, reading stories, science projects, and music are just a few activities that are taking place.
Our staff met with clients virtually every day for an hour or several times a week for 30 minutes to an hour. They also ran small group virtual programs, 2-3 clients meet with 1-2 staff for an hour and they play games, socialize, make a craft, etc. This program has been well received and our clients are excited to interact with their friends. Those receiving this service range in supports needs. A few of our clients require total hand over hand support from their caregiver to participate where others once they are logged into zoom can participate independently.
These services do not give caregivers total relief of caregiving responsibilities like the day program did but it does offer their loved one a connection with friend’s, the opportunity to participate in a variety of programs which promotes a sense of community and helps with each client’s overall wellbeing.
Many of our clients have not been able to return to our center once we re-opened in July 2020 because they are medically fragile. Our remote program continues to be offered today and has grown since we began offering the services in March 2020.
Like I stated in my first blog I am not a typical caregiver, but my husband and I are struggling with raising a 5-year-old during a pandemic. Firstly, we have other adult children and thought we were soon to be empty nesters when I found out that I was pregnant. Although, we were happy and excited, we were also concerned because I was 44 at the time. We have experienced firsthand the effects of the pandemic on our son and how difficult it has been to lose the social outlets that he had in place for engaging with others. He loved interacting with the seniors and young adults at our center as well as attending pre-school and being around kids his own age. He also uses zoom to participate in his preschool class. His moods change often, his constant struggle for control of his environment is evident daily, as is his gift of pushing the limits with his caretakers (mom and dad). As older parents who have been raising kids for over 30 years, we struggle to meet his emotional needs as well as our own during this stressful time.
Remote programming will never replace the value of in person, face to face activity and interaction that we all crave and thrive on. However, all of these programs that are being utilized via zoom are wonderful tools for us to use as we need to keep everyone safe until the Coronavirus is under control.