Heroes At The Gardens

Dear Gardens Friends and Families,

I hope everyone is well and staying healthy. I am happy to report that The Gardens remains free of any known Covid-19 infection. We remain diligent in our sanitation efforts, safe distancing, mask wearing and twice daily temperature checks.

When we think of heroes we often think of doctors, nurses, firemen, and police. And, while those professionals are heroic, we have heroes here at the Gardens. From the concierge who is taking temperatures and helping our vendors enter safely, to the care and culinary staff, to maintenance and housekeeping; all have been coming to work through the reality of this pandemic. I think the residents and families have been heroes as they continue to stay safe in place and are diligent about wearing masks, practicing hand washing and having great grace and patience through all the stay in place orders.

Exercise. Our activities director will be implementing individual hallway exercises to keep our residents physically active. Daily movement and physical activity are extremely important. It is too easy for our residents to literally “stay in place” which could be a concern. We must always challenge our muscles with even the smallest movements in an effort to stay limber and balanced. Daily walks throughout the community, gardening, playing Golf Swing, Bocce Ball (lawn bowling) and meditation can help to keep a positive attitude.

Health. Maintaining an optimistic outlook is important in managing stress, especially in the current climate. Lilly and her team will help our residents focus on aspects of health and life that we can control. Our culinary team will help to improve our residents’ nutrition. It’s also important to take breaks from the TV and safely get up and walk as much as possible. I am sure we have all been taking stock of our lives in a reflective manner but please remember that our main goal is always to keep our residents safe and healthy. Our residents have continued their connection with their Gardens friends and with their families through safe distancing and electronic meetings. Talking on the phone is one way to stay connected to a friend.

Spiritual. Regardless of religious affiliation (if any), feeling a connection with a higher being, with nature or meditation is an important part of graceful aging. If any residents are interested, our activities department can introduce Ted Talks. TEDTALKS are short speeches that cover a myriad of topics — from science to business to global issues, in many different languages.

We would love to hear feedback on which things we can incorporate to help your loved ones weather the storm until we are able to once again step out into the world.

Sincerely,

by Linda Muggli