Adapting: Greensburg nursing home staffer helps residents adjust

Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways a global pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania.

Excitement fills the halls of Greensburg Care Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays as bingo numbers are called over the loudspeakers, residents checking their cards while sitting in their rooms. Activity staff members run up and down the halls, making sure all the cards are accounted for, giving each resident a fair chance at winning.

The scenario is part of the new normal at the Hempfield nursing home, which is limiting visitors because of the spread of the coronavirus and encouraging residents to keep from congregating in large groups when possible.

Despite the spread of the virus, with 55 cases in Westmoreland County and 4,087 across the state as of Monday afternoon, residents are nothing but happy thanks to efforts from the activity staff, said Jennifer Ezykowsky, the activities director.

“We always reiterate that we’re going to keep them safe,” Ezykowsky said. “You can’t worry them. No matter how worried you may be, you still have to come in with a smile on your face and do your job.”

With the help of several staff members, Ezykowsky does just that by checking on residents throughout the day, creating activities, offering puzzle books and encouraging residents to call and FaceTime family members no matter the time of day.

Keeping up with family

As the virus sweeps the nation, impacting elderly people and those with underlying health conditions the hardest, the American Health Care Association has recommended skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities limit nonessential visitors from entering facilitates.

The move came after several residents of Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., died when the coronavirus broke out in the facility.

While the limitations cut off face-to-face contact with family, staff members are creating opportunities for families to stay in contact.

One way is through Facebook, Ezykowsky said. Pictures of smiling residents holding whiteboards filled with words of encouragement are posted to the nursing home’s page as a way to connect with people outside the facility.

“To my six great-grandchildren, I’m doing great! Hope you are too. I love you all very much!”

“To all of my family. I hope you are well and I miss you. I hope to see especially the new grandbabies when all of this is over. I am doing well and I love you all!”

“Dear daughters, this is mom. I’m doing fine. Going to play bingo after lunch!”

The messages, which are often responded to online by loved ones, are a way to show worried family members residents are doing OK. Residents are also able to receive cards, and people can leave care packages at the front of the facility.

“They’re disappointed, but they know that this will pass. They think it’s really neat because we have these machines now that you can see their families,” Ezykowsky said about FaceTime.

She added, “The (residents) that get sad … I put my arms around them, and I tell them I love them and I’m here for them, and we’ll get through this together.”

Weathering the storm

For Ezykowsky, the new normal is almost business as usual: work, go home, shower, do laundry and start over again. Changes include carrying extra sanitizer and more frequent stops at the sink to scrub with soap and water.

At Greensburg Care Center, only staff members are allowed to enter the facility and, when they do, their temperature is immediately taken. If someone has a fever, he or she is sent home. Hand sanitizer is placed around the building, and staff members are encouraged to wash their hands throughout the day.

“I don’t really think about it,” Ezykowsky said, referencing the pandemic. “When I come to work, I don’t really think about the outside. I think about the residents.”

Inside, Ezykowsky and her staff work to keep the mood as light as possible, changing the TV channel from the constant drone of news reports to something less serious, such as HGTV.

The goal is to keep residents from becoming scared.

Most are adapting to the changes, understanding that several have compromised immune systems. Residents who struggle with change, Ezykowsky said, are kept to their normal routines as much as possible.

“They’re acclimated in their new normal for right now,” she said. “As soon as this passes, we will be back to field trips and sitting outside.”

And, of course, residents can look forward to bingo twice a week.