Update from President & CEO, Deedre Vriesman.
I would be lying if I said that times have been easy. It has been difficult to implement the always-changing restrictions from the CDC, MDHHS, CMS and the governor. But yet, recently I received an email from my pastor where he wrote: “Paul wrote to one of his churches at an unusual time in their lives: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” He went on to challenge us to think of at least one thing we are grateful for during this pandemic.
These are challenging times, but we have a lot to be thankful for. Here is a list of some of the things that I am thankful for during this crisis:
- Our amazing team. Each member of our team is not only essential, but a blessing to Resthaven and its residents. They continue to show up day in and day out and go above and beyond to meet the new regulations. There have been a lot of adjustments to care in order to protect our residents and staff continue to adapt. Our staff have taken on new challenges and volunteered to cross-train in other positions to ensure we can meet all our resident’s needs.
- All the businesses and individuals who donated Personal Protection Equipment and other needed supplies. So many of you purchased items off our Amazon Wish List to provide individual materials for socialization for our residents. It has made such a difference already!
- We sent out a letter to all of you to explain what life looks like at Resthaven during COVID-19 and some of our specific news. We were so touched by the huge response to this letter. These contributions are making a difference in supporting additional purchases and staffing needs during this time.
- Our volunteer community who continues to support us from home by staying in touch with residents, sending cards, and being present with us in new ways.
- All of you! We know visit restrictions are hard for all, but we are so thankful for family members who work within these guidelines. We are thankful that you continue to support us and adapt to virtual care conferences and other changes. We have received so many encouraging notes from all of you and truly appreciate them. We have been sharing these words of thanks and encouragement regularly with the staff.