Fairview Care Center gets creative during visitor restrictions

Life has changed for residents of Dodge County’s Fairview Care Center in recent weeks as the Dodge Center facility has had to adapt to new regulations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Family members and friends are no longer permitted to visit and congregate dining and group activities are also curtailed as residents largely remain in their rooms.
While the precautions have been successful and there have been no cases of the COVID-19 virus at the center, it has affected residents contact with the outside world and staff have worked to keep those connections active.
Staff members are encouraging family and friends to stay in touch by mail, telephone, Facetime and Skype, said Activities Director Alyssa Huisenga.
They are also encouraging “window visits,” Huisenga said, where family members can come and sit outside the resident’s window and talk with them by cell phone.
There have also been other creative ways to make the residents’ days brighter, she said, including a recent “puppy parade” and hallway bingo games.
One day last week, she said, staff members brought their dogs to the care center and paraded them around the building allowing residents to watch the “parade” from their rooms. It was a success, she said, as residents and staff waved to each other as about a dozen dogs and their owners took part. The staff, Huisenga added, all made sure to keep proper social distancing as they walked around the building.
The parade was also streamed on Facebook for everyone to enjoy, she said.
Another activity residents have enjoyed has been hall bingo.  Residents in a small area, perhaps half a hallway, she said, come and sit in their doorway to play bingo as the caller in the hallway calls out the numbers. It provides a favorite entertainment and lets residents see and talk with each other while still maintaining the proper social distance.
The entire community has also become involved, Huisenga said.
An anonymous person sent flowers recently and day care students and other children have sent cards and crafts.
The Fairview Auxiliary provided chocolate bunnies and Easter cards for the residents and ice cream treats for the staff.
The residents themselves have also gotten involved as several have offered messages to the community such as “Remember to Pray” and “In times like these we should all pull together.”
“We’re trying hard to be positive,” Huisenga said.