Dorothy Rosenberg often shares the wisdom she’s gathered over 102 years, particularly about accepting changes over time.
“Life is a series of adjustments, and you have to think pink,” said Rosenberg, the former editor of the Federal Register, the official journal of the federal government. “It helps you to feel happy wherever you are, and to not dwell on things that make you unhappy because you can’t have them anymore. It isn’t always easy, but I try to think pink.”
In the last year, Rosenberg has had to focus on every hue of the pink palette from bubble gum to salmon. A stroke took away her independence, and she had to move out of her home in Maryland into Spring Arbor of Fredericksburg, an assisted living facility in Spotsylvania County.
Because COVID-19 was raging, she and other residents in long-term care facilities—who were the most vulnerable to getting sick—weren’t able to see their families, enjoy music, church services or Bingo or even eat together in dining rooms. To keep the virus at bay, they stayed in their rooms, their only contact with relatives through FaceTime chats or video sessions.
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“It was awful,” said Ron Apter, Rosenberg’s brother who lives in Fawn Lake. While he was glad for the technology, he missed seeing his only sister in person.
Since vaccines have been on the scene, residents as well as those who love and take care of them are rejoicing that life is getting back to some sense of normalcy. Family members are returning to buildings, in most places by appointment only to avoid a crush of people. Facilities are cautiously offering special events again while following national guidance about masks, social distancing and sanitization.
“Oh, my gosh, it feels amazing,” said Stephanie Courtney, wellness and activity director at Spring Arbor. “Just to be able to pass a family member and say hello. It feels like there’s so much more life in the building. It feels like our residents are coming back to us, more people are out and about in the community, fears are lifted.”
And what a fearful time it has been, especially for the older set. More than four of every 10 deaths, locally and nationwide, occurred in long-term care facilities where seniors—many with preexisting conditions—were prime targets for a highly infectious respiratory disease.
Of the 255 people who’ve died since March 2020 in the Rappahannock Area Health District, 107 lived in such facilities.
State and national health officials made those residents the first priority for vaccines, and “what a lifesaver they have been for our older folks,” said Amy Hewett, a vice president with the Virginia Health Care Association and the Virginia Center for Assisted Living. “People are really excited and relieved at knowing the vaccines are so effective.”
In nursing homes nationwide, cases have dropped 96 percent, and deaths have fallen 91 percent from their peak in December, according to the National Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living. While the percentage of residents vaccinated locally is in the high 90s, administrators said levels of staff vaccinations are somewhat lower. The national organization hopes to meet its goal of vaccinating 75 percent of all nursing home staff by the end of June.
‘VALUE OF HUMAN TOUCH’
Last spring, Carol Britton said the hardest part of the pandemic was being separated from her friends and family. She and her husband, Roy, who have been married for 63 years, live in the senior lifestyle section of Chancellor’s Village in Spotsylvania. When lockdown measures went into effect last year, residents weren’t supposed to leave their apartments or have anyone visit them.
“The lack of socialization is killing me,” Britton said a year ago, adding how grateful she was for the limited activities available. Sometimes, residents stood on their own balconies and blew bubbles or enjoyed ice cream from a cart that workers brought down the hallway. “I’m waiting for Chippendale dancers,” she joked. “You have to keep a sense of humor, who knows how long this is going to go on?”
Last week, Britton raised a glass of wine to cheer the return of “socials” at the facility. Not all residents are allowed in the dining room at the same time, but when it’s their turn, they can enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres beforehand.
A self-described social butterfly who’s 84 but doesn’t consider herself elderly, Britton said she was glad to see the events return and looks forward to outdoor concerts later this month.
She was thankful she’d been able to stay in touch with family over the phone, computer or Facebook.
“A lot of people had it a lot worse,” she said. “For the elderly who really have no one to see them, I felt so sorry for them because they’re so lonesome.”
The isolation has been difficult because “nothing can replace the value of human touch and a hug from a loved one,” said Meg Pemberton, a geriatric care manager in Fredericksburg.
Krista Wells, life enrichment director at Chancellor’s Village, wonders what impact the lockdown will have had on those suffering from memory loss and other brain-related issues.
There’s also been a physical toll, said Sarah Delano, executive director at Commonwealth Senior Living at Stafford. Because of the solitary confinement, few residents got the needed exercise—or just the movement by walking from their rooms to the dining area.
“We’ve had to increase physical therapy to get everybody moving and back on their feet,” she said, adding that the lifted restrictions have put the spring back in some steps. “Just to see the families come in and see their loved ones again rather than just virtual visits has definitely brought joy to the residents and the families. You can see the relief on their faces when they’re in the same room again.”
PRETTY IN PINK
Residents and their family members weren’t the only ones whose lifestyles changed in the last year. Staff members also limited their visits to friends and family and avoided public gatherings in their efforts to keep COVID-19 out of buildings, Wells said.
“I chose to keep my daughter in virtual learning because of that,” Wells said. “I didn’t want her to come to school and unknowingly bring home the virus to me and me unknowingly bring it to work. I’m sure other staff did the same thing. None of us wanted to be the one that brought it in.”
Apter said he appreciated people like Cindi Bowen, Spring Arbor’s marketing director and an “angel of mercy” who worked hard to care for residents during a global pandemic. After his sister’s stroke last year, he feared she wouldn’t make it, but “she made an absolutely astounding, amazing and breathtaking recovery.”
He and his wife, Rita, look forward to regular, in-person visits with Rosenberg, ever the meticulous dresser. Apter said his sister’s biggest concern was making sure she could get her hair and nails done regularly after her move to Spring Arbor. Courtney, the facility’s activities director, said the older woman has a shoe collection that’s the envy of the staff.
“Just because I’m over 100, I’m not dead,” Rosenberg said. “I like pretty things.”
Apter hopes to enjoy her sense of humor for years to come. He’s 13 years younger than his sister, and the two have grown closer.
“Now when we get together, we talk a lot about what we remember together, and it’s kind of fun,” he said. “It’s wonderful, and I mean she looks great.”
Especially when she wears pink.