Who in the face of danger combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength? Does the word “front line” come to mind? While we typically think of firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, and military service members, there are numerous people in the senior living industry who tirelessly dedicated themselves to maintaining the safety and security of all during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We must thank and honor our fearless leadership within these communities who managed a dynamic set of responsibilities to:
- Align with regulatory officials to establish, implement, and communicate risk mitigation safety protocols and vaccination strategies.
- Modify amenities, hospitality services, and personal care infrastructure.
- Provide direction and engagement at the highest levels with residents, families, staff, vendors, and other outside support resources.
We also need to honor our 160 residents, their families, and 25 staff who were more than heroic in keeping our community safe. There were no state-wide measures mandating Independent Senior Living behavior and the choice was theirs to consciously protect themselves and others. While RosePointe followed CDC guidelines requiring masks, social distancing, no family visitors on-site, and other risk mitigation measures, the residents’ choice was theirs as to how they behaved, particularly off-site. Our community stood tall in the face of adversity; from housekeepers cleaning while wearing double masks with residents outside their apartments, to families dropping off groceries, prescriptions and utilizing social media for family engagement, to dining services staff delivering lunch and dinner with a knock and quick departure before residents opened their doors. For these, and many other acts of dedication, selflessness, and “It takes a village” mentality, RosePointe Senior Living remained covid free!
Let us not forget to honor our outside support resources at the city and county level for their heroics. In RosePointe’s case, The City of Roseville’s Fire Chief, David Brosnahan, and Ramsey County’s Public Health Department management and staff, Laura Andersen, Caro Ramirez and Mark Jackson humbly pioneered the pandemic’s emergency response including community vaccination protocol. Rather than managing within the box, they were open to learning RosePointe had a large percentage of “independent” residents at high risk due to age and chronic health conditions, and that the “independent” nomenclature and corresponding phase of vaccine delivery was not well-aligned to us. We needed it sooner! Without hesitation, and a special interest in our case, they were able to accelerate the vaccine delivery prior to our defined phase. To that end, RosePointe was 100% vaccinated in April, remains a Covid free community, and are operating close to pre-pandemic service levels.
While we are so thankful no lives were lost at RosePointe due to the Pandemic, we need to honor and celebrate the lives of 22 residents who died from January 2020 through today. While honoring one’s passing does not always speak to the “hero” in them, we know they are in the eyes of many. Residents become the soul and legacy of a community and contribute in immeasurable ways by sharing their time, their talents, their passions, their inspiration, knowledge, sense of humor, care and compassion, eternal optimism, and zest for life. Our community heroes. Their families often remember and reflect on their late in life chapters and passing away as special and heroic ones.
On May 26, 2021, we honored those who left us, but in a unique and notable way. In the time of remembrance, we gathered outside on a beautiful day, took a moment to hear the names of every resident who had departed but left their presence upon us, and offered the opportunity to share heartfelt messages written on stones or a plaque placement in our newly planned Forever Circle Garden. The name speaks for itself; forever circular means a never-ending, forever legacy. Our garden will be beautiful with a tall grass entry, a hydrangea bush ring, and a bright rose bush center. Stones and plaques will surround the ring.
In this inaugural year and the coming years, we invite any family who has touched the RosePointe community and wishes to remember a loved one, a hero, to be a part of the garden. For more information, please contact Carol Hansen, Managing Director, at 651-628-8561 or chansen@pointesliving.com.