HomeMy WebLinkAboutOIH Newsletter - July 2020 July 2020
Volume 3, Issue 7
OUR ISLAND HOME
Monthly Newsletter
Inside This Issue:
• COVID-19: ‘Updates’ (Audit Results, Communicating with Residents, and Current Visitation Policies)
• Love Blooms at Our Island Home and Donations
Highlights:
1) Modified Calendar of Events
2) Resident Portraiture
3) Employee of the Month
4) Resident Quote of the Month
5) Feasibility Study
9 East Creek Rd.
Nantucket, MA 02554
1 (508) 228-0462
COVID-19: UPDATES
AUDIT RESULTS: On June 4th, Our Island Home had our second of many random COVID-
19 related infection-control audits by the Department of Public Health, and received a
score of 100%, meeting 28 out of 28 infection-control policies.
COMMUNICATING WITH RESIDENTS: We continue to encourage folks with a personal
connection to OIH, or who wants to make a positive impact, to continue emailing our
residents letters, photos, and words of hope to our resident email account:
ourislandhome@yahoo.com. These messages can be shared with residents individually
or posted on our communal bulletin board. You can visit our Facebook page (Oih
Nantucket MA) for more information and for daily OIH COVID updates.
VISITATION: In efforts to best preserve our residents’ health while abiding by State and
Federal guidelines and mandates regarding visitation at long-term care facilities, we
have resumed window visitation at one specific location on our property. Another
option of staying in touch is utilizing video chatting as a means of connecting one-on-
one with your loved one. Please email Activities Director, Ally Rowell, at
arowell@nantucket-ma.gov to discuss and schedule a window visit or a video chat with
your loved one Zoom or FaceBook.
We have been working to finalize the Home’s policy around outdoor, in-person
visitation, and we are now awaiting approval by our medical director. We are aware
that the influx of our island’s summer population greatly increases our community’s
risk for COVID-19, and we ask that family members remain mindful of the delicate
nature of their loved one’s health status. We thank you greatly for your understanding
and patience and will be in contact directly with resident family members with further
updates soon.
“LOVE BLOOMS AT OUR ISLAND HOME” & DONATIONS:
The Friends of Our Island Home created a fundraiser entitled “Love Blooms at Our
Island Home” to raise money for repairs to our back-patio and to replenish our flower
planters outside. The event was a great success, raising over $4,000 to spruce up our
Home’s exterior for our residents. We would like to thank the Friends of Our Island
Home, as well as our staff Debbie Bechtold and Tina Crane for their amazing efforts in
making this project a huge success! We would also like to thank everyone who
contributed to this fundraising campaign via FaceBook, and the following donors who
donated directly to Friends of Our Island Home:
Judy Phelan; Michelle and Scott Free; Alan Atwood; Deborah D. Speer; Dennis and Diane
Egan; Laura A. Donnelly; Lora and Paul Stewart; Trish Pastuszak; and Colleen Clopeck.
These donations contribute directly to resident’s daily life, activities, and well-being.
Thank you all so much for your generosity. We are so grateful!
OUR ISLAND
HOME
9 East Creek Rd
Nantucket, MA 02554
PHONE:
1 (508) 228-0462
FAX:
1 (508) 228-6875
E-MAIL:
Peter Holden
Interim Administrator
OIHAdministrator@
nantucket-ma.gov
We’re on the Web!
Visit us at:
www.nantucket-ma.gov
INSTAGRAM:
ourislandhomenantucket
FACEBOOK:
Oih Nantucket MA
RESOURCES &
INFORMATION
If you have questions or concerns
regarding the evolving COVID-19
regulations and standards, please be
aware of the Nursing Home Family
Resource Line established by the Baker-
Polito Administration. This is a
dedicated telephone line that will
connect family members of nursing
home residents with information and
resources they need. The line is staffed
from 9am – 5pm, seven days a week,
and the number is:
1 (617) 660-5399.
FEASIBILITY STUDY
The potential for a new OIH on the
current site:
The team at LWDA is working with the
Town of Nantucket and stakeholders
on a feasibility study for future options
for Our Island Home. For more
information, see current FAQs, and
have the option to submit your own
inquiry or question, please go to the
following web page
https://oih.carrd.co/
Your input, opinion and questions are
important to ensure a comprehensive,
successful next step is developed!
RESIDENT QUOTE OF THE
MONTH
“I feel happy…my husband and
friends are here, and I speak to my
son every day. I love the activities we
do – the music is great.”
- Gladys S. on life at OIH
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
For June, our residents elected
Executive Assistant to the Director of
Nursing, Tina Crane as our employee
of the month, because of her tireless
attentiveness, rigorous work ethic,
and her unwavering positive spirit. We
thank you, Tina, for all that you do for
our residents at Our Island Home. We
are so lucky to have you here and are
incredibly grateful for you!
MODIFIED CALENDAR OF EVENTS
We continue to make modifications to
our activities calendar in efforts to follow
best-care practices as recommended
state and federal agencies that reflect
evolving standards and regulations
surrounding COVID-19.
Daily, we continue to offer the following
activities options:
Coloring pages; Puzzles; Word search
and trivia worksheets; Video chatting
and phone calls with family and other
loved ones; Exploring old Nantucket
picture books; Independent crafting such
as knitting, crocheting, and other art
forms; Reading letters sent to us from
our Nantucket community members;
Independent or distance bible study;
Spending one-on-one time with staff
members for support and comfort; and
listening to music on headphones.
FAMILY COUNCIL: July’s Family Council
Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,
July 15th at 10 am, and will be held via
Zoom.
Resident Portraiture
Local Nantucket photographer
Barbara Clarke is offering her
portraiture services free of
charge to OIH residents once
COVID restrictions are lifted. If
you would like to schedule
group or individual portraits for
your friend or family residing at
OIH, please contact Ally Rowell
at arowell@nantucket-ma.gov to
schedule an appointment.