Covid Services at Garden House of Maywood

When the covid restrictions were implemented many residents here at Garden House of Maywood were worried about not only food, water, and household products but they were concerned about not being able to socialize, becoming isolated and depression. As the Social Service Coordinator, it was important that we ensure resident safety; however they still needed social support, exercise and “brain” engagement to reduce the feeling of isolation and depression.

1.  I created activity packets for residents, brain teasers and grabbed some local crossword puzzles and word search and sudoku books for residents’ pleasure.
2.  I made regular “well-being” calls to each resident.  If there was no answer, I did visit the apartment to ensure they were safe and to see if I could assist them with anything.
3.  Many residents were upset about potentially losing LIHEAP allowances due to offices being closed.  I was able to reach out to an organization and partner with them to create a sign up. As the Social Service Coordinator, I coordinated with residents to gather all their required documentation for approval and provided the agency with that information. As a result, the agency was able to get many residents approved for the LIHEAP benefit.
4. During the holiday season, the residents were still able to enjoy Christmas and Thanksgiving meals with a gift.  Although not all together, meals and gifts were delivered individually and we had Christmas carolers to come by and sing.
5. I worked with different neighborhoods and community agencies for support especially with my residents who have memory issues.  This helped to reduce the natural decline that can occur with isolation.