Written by Beckett Glass (News Writer)
In Santa Cruz County, there have been several cases of coronavirus but being home to several senior homes there has been a lot of success in ensuring the safety of the residents. At one senior home in Aptos, there has been a good amount of success.
Across the country, nursing homes are having to adjust to the conditions of the pandemic, and are being forced to adapt extremely quickly to this new environment. Senior homes across the county are banning in-person visits, limiting to virtual visits, and limiting the activities that they can do.
Since the outbreak, senior homes have been the hardest hit during the pandemic with ⅕ of the deaths in the United States in nursing homes, since those above the age of 65 are more at risk. With close quarters and a high-risk of infection, this is a serious concern for many.
At Aegis, the activities director explained what it was like at the senior home during the beginnings of the shelter in place. “It was difficult at first for everyone to adjust to the new way of living, but now that we are a month into this shelter in place everyone has been quite accommodating. We offer room visits with the residents, puzzle packets to keep their minds sharp, daily virtual visits with families since there are no visitors allowed, small group exercise classes to keep everyone active, one on one outdoor walks, and live patio performances every Thursday afternoon which residents can enjoy from the comfort of their own apartments. The residents miss bingo, but we have come up with other ways to keep them engaged like our very own bingo scavenger hunt where they can look for clues throughout the building when they are out on their walks. Overall it is a big change, but we are doing our part in keeping the spread of the virus down and our residents are adapting well to these new changes.”
The change from the shelter in place in senior homes around the country has been dramatic but it is still of paramount importance to keep social distancing even as some states are partially reopening. To ensure that the spread of COVID-19 is minimized, wear face coverings in public and to make sure that you take all precautionary measures.
The Claw 