The Summit Gets Creative Coping with COVID-19
Residents move to The Summit for community, not to practice social distancing, but residents and staff have adapted to the CDC guidelines for Life Plan Communities to stay safe and healthy. As our world deals with COVID-19, residents of the Summit are embracing living separate together.
While things are different, The Summit has looked for nique ways to keep residents connected, including virtual exercise classes and Bible studies, mobile wine tastings and creating a new outdoor space for small groups to visit safely.
Since community, fellowship and friendship are hallmarks of life at the Summit, staff and residents are getting creative to stay connected safely.
Although the dining room is closed temporarily, the dining staff is delivering over 100 delicious dinners to residents apartments and lakeside homes daily.
Residents in Independent Living are spending the days connecting with family over the phone, taking walks along the gorgeous Summit Lake Trail and saying hello to neighbors – from a safe distance – while checking the mail and running errands.
“We’ve been so bleased by the way the staff has responded to this. They’re doing a remarkable job of keeping in touch with everybody,” resident Woody Gregory said. “We are all practicing social distancing.”
Residents and staff have utilized Zoom to host campus-wide Bingo and other games, Bible studies and check on friends.
A coffee cart goes door-to-door three days a week and staff have pivoted the monthly wine tastings to a mobile “Wine Wagon.”
The staff also surprised residents by going door-to-door with ice cream treats.
The onsite nursing team is checking on residents and staff is helping residents arrange grocery store pick-ups.
“The Summit is being exceptional in its instruction. The staff is making sure we are safe. They have thought about this in detail,” resident Nathan Brooks said.
Birthday celebrations are a big part of resident life so the staff are making special birthday drop-offs to residents to make the day special.
With visitors restricted, the staff uses iPads to help residents in Assisted Living FaceTime family. Courtyard conerts allow residents to open apartment windows and hear life music.
Staff coordinated a Mother’s Day Parade for residents in Assisted Living to sit outside – safely apart – while their families drove by in decorated vehicles.
The staff is also taking residents on individual goft cart rides around the lake trail.
Social distancing isn’t fun, but it’s much easier at a Life Plan Community where residents can live separate together.