HomeMy WebLinkAboutOIH Newsletter - May 2021
OUR ISLAND HOME
Monthly Newsletter
Inside This Issue:
• Check Us Out in N-Magazine!
• Our Island Home’s COVID Update & Keeping in Touch with Residents – Visitation Updates
• Staffing Update
• April Donations
• Springing into Summer!
Highlights:
1) Modified Calendar of Events
2) Employee of the Month
3) The Future of Our Island Home
4) Resources and Information
May 2021
Volume 4, Issue 5
CHECK US OUT IN N-MAGAZINE!
Our Island Home was so fortunate to be featured in the latest edition of N-Magazine. The
article highlights the triumphs of our residents and staff over the course of our COVID
journey thus far and includes some amazing photos, too! Check it out here: https://n-
magazine.com/the-miracle-on-east-creek-road/
OUR ISLAND HOME’S COVID UPDATE & KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH RESIDENTS
We are happy to share that as of the date of this newsletters’ publication, Friday, April
30th, 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.
SPRINGING INTO
SUMMER!
STAFFING UPDATE
We are happy to announce a new addition to the Our Island
Home team – David Carboneau will be joining OIH for at least
the next 3 months as our new Administrator!!! Please join us in
offering him a warm welcome, and in telling our treasured Bob
Eisenstein a farewell. (We hope he’ll visit us this summer!)
APRIL DONATIONS
A major ‘Thank You’ to Alan Atwood & Pauline Healy 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. Another giant ‘thank you’ to
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Bains for generously gifting OIH their
incredible 50-year collection of National Geographic Magazines!
The magazines are already getting so much attention and use by
our residents 😊
Thank you Darci and
Scott Creech for letting
us visit your donkeys!
Above: Flower Arranging
Left: Resident Lucy celebrating
her 100th!
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; In-Person visits with 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 1:1 time with
staff members for support and comfort; and
listening to music on headphones.
In addition to the above activities, our
residents have kept busy playing on our
tablets, arts-and-crafting, writing to their 3rd
Grade Pen Pals at the Lighthouse School, and
spending plenty of 1:1 time with staff. We
have also enjoyed virtual groups such as
Book Club, “Our Island Kids and Animals”
with Susan Richards and the Nantucket
Community School, services for Lent and
Easter, and games like Live Jeopardy!
FAMILY COUNCIL:
The next Family Council Meeting is
scheduled for Wednesday, May 12th
at 10 AM via Zoom. A link will be sent to
family members the day prior.
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 held later this
month. 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 April, our residents elected staff
member Karen Rowe-Thomas, CNA
as our employee of the month,
because of her willingness to go
above and beyond, her constant
helpfulness, and her unwavering
reliability. Thank you, Karen, for all
that you do!!!
Daffodils in full bloom at OIH!