We are all aware of how COVID has changed everything, but nowhere does it hit home more than in the nursing homes and senior care facilities here and across the U.S. We have all been told to socially distance ourselves from others to avoid this disease. Many are finding ways to do this while staying home with hobbies, house and yard work that always used to get past us and of course the constant need to entertain and watch the kids who are no longer in school. People are working from home and adapting. Truth be told, everybody got sent home, but the changes forced us all into different routines. Unfortunately, the change is not as easy to contend with for seniors. The increased loneliness and isolation from families can have a devastating effect on our seniors. Please include you seniors in your new daily routine. Here are some ideas. . .

This year our celebrations have been different from the past. We still had to make it memorable though, so we decided to do an "All American" photo shoot. Once the photo shoot was complete, we did a vote. Lavata won the title for "All American Girl." When asked what the holiday meant to her, she express that it was family, friends, fireworks and food -corn on the cob especially! Her smile says it all!

During this time, we have had to stay close to home. Some of our favorite outings have had to be delayed. Shopping has been one of our favorite outings in the past and we are blessed to have our Community Store. It allows our residents to be able to stock up on snacks and soft drinks. Terri along with other others visit our little store often and if we need something that is not on the shelf, our activity coordinator is more than willing to get what is requested.

Now the fun begins for Allan and Einstein. Break-time is over and the planning and planting begins. As you can see, this is quite a job for Allan but he is up to the task and this is his passion. We are all so anxious for our families to return and visit! As a community, we want the courtyard to be beautiful. Soon, when Allen is finished, we will share a photo of the completed garden.

Mr. Cline and our community pet Einstein always go above and beyond helping out around the community. The photo to the right show them taking a little break and enjoying some sun before they get busy with the job at hand. We have started receiving our flowers and vegetables from the wonderful community to ensure Mr. Cline is able to stay busy this spring with his passion for growing things. This year Einstein is right by his side helping and keeping Allan company. Thank you Mr. Cline and our local greenhouse for all the beauty you bring us.

With essential workers being a hot topic throughout our community, we want to congratulate all the essential staff here at Liberty Nursing of Mansfield. Every department goes above and beyond to keep our residents safe and happy. We are doing a lot of room visits at this time. While visiting with one of our dear ladies we noticed that she was down in the dumps. She had one question she wanted to ask me. . . .

I would like to start this blog to say at this time of social distancing our residents have had many window visits celebrating birthdays and families just stopping by to wave but a daily visit from the husband of our sweet Mildred Davis has touched all of our hearts and made us proud to be a part of their lives. I will start with the first letter we received from Mr. Davis . . . .

We found a way for our most loved social activity bingo to continue! Because of the new social distancing requirements, one of the first questions was; "Can we still play bingo?" Of course we will still play bingo! After working out a few kinks, we are enjoying doorway bingo. When things are back to normal, we just might continue doorway bingo from time to time. Participation has actually increased and we are seeing a lot of smiles because the residents like the change! Changing the way we do things is good once in awhile.

At Liberty Nursing Center of Mansfield, one of the most attended activity involves music. We are blessed to be a certified music and memory program community. Our music therapist visits weekly. We normally also have sisters Patti and Cindy that come every week and perform beautiful gospel music.

One of our community’s favorite STNAs is moving positions. After 33 years with us, Sandra Bentley has decided to join the activity department—and we couldn’t be happier. Loved by our residents, Sandra is always cheerful and upbeat. She’s eager to start calling for our Saturday afternoon Bingo games which are an all-time favorite activity here.