OC Connections (OCC) Board Chair, Tom Baxter has connected via Zoom and Skype with residents and staff of the Lonsdale and Salisbury homes to check on their progress and hear about the activities they have been undertaking these past weeks.
Residents were delighted to let Tom know about how they were going and how they enjoyed spending time with others as well as learning and practising new skills while in lockdown. The residents were keen to share their highs and lows of lockdown with Tom, and were more than happy for him to share these with the other Directors.
What the residents are missing during lockdown:
• Kathleen is missing the freedom of being able to go wherever she wants.
• Mandy said she misses going to the zoo and animal parks.
• Mandy is sad that the musicals and festivals she booked have been cancelled.
• Richard is missing his bowling community, attending church and live football!
• Marg misses the new community senior gathering group she was attending at OCC.
• All the residents are missing seeing friends in person.
• Many plans, including a honeymoon and commitment ceremony, are also on hold!
Resident highlights from lockdown:
• Speaking to friends and family on Skype and Zoom.
• Kathleen and the whole group do not miss the morning rush.
• Some of the homebodies like Rodney, Kathleen and Marg like being at home.
• Mandy said she is glad that the day program staff are doing fun activities with them.
• Richard has been watching his church service on Sunday mornings at home on TV.
• The residents have enjoyed doing more art and craft, mosaics, gardening and baking.
• Residents said that it was lovely to be able to sleep in a bit later every day.
• Overall everyone feels more relaxed and content with the opportunity to have a break.
Staff members Liz, Delwin, Val and Maria supported the residents for the video call. They mentioned to Tom that they had been assisting residents with wellbeing techniques such as meditation and yoga for coping with lifestyle changes associated with COVID-19 restrictions.
Kathleen said, “Get lost COVID”, which made everyone laugh.
The video conversation with Tom was enjoyable with lots of laughs. Everyone spoke from the heart. They all agreed that they enjoyed Tom’s online visit.
