HomeMy WebLinkAboutOIH Newsletter - March 2021
OUR ISLAND HOME
Monthly Newsletter
Inside This Issue:
• Our Island Home’s COVID Status and Keeping in Touch
with Residents
• Pfizer Vaccine Clinic
• February Donations
• A Centenarian Birthday Celebration
• #OIHValentine Project – Thank you!
9 East Creek Rd.
Nantucket, MA 02554
1 (508) 228-0462
March 2021
Volume 4, Issue 3
OUR ISLAND HOME’S COVID UPDATE AND KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH RESIDENTS
We are happy to share that as of the date of this newsletters’ publication, Monday, March
1st, 2021, we have (0) residents and staff with COVID, and (1) staff recovered from COVID.
We continue to receive letters, photos, and words of hope to our resident email account:
ourislandhome@yahoo.com. You can visit our Facebook page (Oih Nantucket MA) for daily
OIH COVID updates, and resident family members and loved ones receive a comprehensive
update weekly via email. All visitation at OIH should continue to be scheduled in advance
through the Activities Director, Ally Rowell, who can be reached via email at
arowell@nantucket-ma.gov or via phone at 1 (508) 228-0462 x 7406.
PFIZER VACCINE CLINIC
Our Island Home is happy to share that we have completed all three rounds of our Pfizer
COVID-19 Vaccine series in partnership with CVS Pharmacy. Approximately 90% of our
resident population has elected to participate in the vaccination process, along with close
to 75% of our staff members. We are so proud of our team here for taking the opportunity
to make a difference!
FEBRUARY DONATIONS
A major ‘Thank You’ to Joan J. Fisher for your donation to the Friends of Our Island Home
this past month. Your generosity contributes directly to our resident’s daily life, activities,
and overall well-being. We are so grateful. Thank you!!!
A CENTENARIAN BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
This month, our residents and staff enjoyed a very special day on February 20th, celebrating
one of our very own resident’s birthday – Bea turning 100 years young, pictured below!
Special thanks to Bea’s granddaughter Amy Santos and OIH staff members Ally Rowell,
Debbie Bechtold, Carol Matson, and Michelle Munroe for making this such a special day for
Bea and her loved ones.
#OIHVALENTINE PROJECT – THANK YOU!
Thank you to all friends and family members that participated in our #OIHValentine
campaign this past month, a social media project to show our residents how loved they
truly are!
OUR ISLAND
HOME
9 East Creek Rd
Nantucket, MA 02554
PHONE:
1 (508) 228-0462
FAX:
1 (508) 228-6875
E-MAIL:
Bob Eisenstein
Interim Administrator
OIHAdministrator@
nantucket-ma.gov
We’re on the Web!
Visit us at:
www.nantucket-ma.gov
INSTAGRAM:
ourislandhomenantucket
FACEBOOK:
Oih Nantucket MA
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; Window visits (scheduled in
advance) 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.
In addition to the above activities, our
residents have been busy playing on our
tablets, arts-and-crafting, writing to their 3rd
Grade Pen Pals at the Lighthouse School, and
spending abundant 1:1 time with staff. We
have also enjoyed virtual groups such as Book
Club, “Our Island Kids and Animals” with Susan
Richards, and a Valentine’s performance by
Paul Connors.
FAMILY COUNCIL:
The next Family Council Meeting is scheduled
for Wednesday, March 10th at 10 AM,
via Zoom.
RESOURCES & INFORMATION
If you have questions or concerns regarding
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,
Monday through Friday, and the number is:
1 (617) 660-5399.
THE FUTURE OF OUR ISLAND HOME
Six facilitated discussions were held
between July and September 2020
regarding the future of Our Island
Home. One of these groups was held
with internal Town of Nantucket staff
and the remaining were held with key
Stakeholders; including OIH residents,
family, staff members and senior
service providers on the island. On
October 14, 2020 a review of these
stakeholder forums was presented to
the Select Board. Another round of
facilitated discussions with additional
stakeholder groups and community
members are being scheduled for
January and February 2021. It is
anticipated that additional discussions
with the general public will occur
sometime after those are completed.
The information from these meetings
will be reviewed by the Select Board
and, along with prior studies done on
OIH, will be utilized to determine what
is the best direction the Town should
procced in for the future of a nursing
facility on the island.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
For December, our residents elected
staff member Laurie MacVicar-Fiske,
Social Services as our employee of the
month, because of her efficiency, efforts
to treat all residents equally, and for
handling some of the residents’ issues
and concerns. Thank you, Laurie, for all
that you do!!!