Magnolia Manor Blog

Many seniors have had a chance to travel the world over, or at least visit a few intriguing destinations across the country or in a foreign land. But not everyone has been so fortunate. And these days, travel is off the menu, especially for seniors who are at higher risk of COVID-19 or who may be in less-than-travel-worthy health.

The next best thing? Travel documentaries! Richly rewarding, absorbing, entertaining, and educational. Mild to wild, there is something (or should we say, someplace) for everyone. And so many to choose from! The world of travel documentaries is as vast as the world itself.

The pandemic continues, and we could all use something new to occupy our time, not to mention our hands and our minds, as we wait it out – especially seniors still deprived of in-person visits with loved ones. So here comes some well-timed good news: January is National Hobby Month.

What better time to reacquaint yourself with an old-favorite hobby, or to take up a brand new one. Focusing on something engrossing and learning new things are proven winners when it comes to re-fueling your mind, body, and spirit.

Pet therapy, formally known as animal-assisted therapy (AAT), is known to provide both physical and mental benefits for seniors with dementia. Prior to COVID-19 concerns, many Memory Care facilities around the country had adopted pet programs of some kind. Some chose to bring in animals as full-time residents, others chose visiting pet programs.

All types of senior living communities are including pets to make their communities feel homier and offer a special kind of comfort and stimulation for residents. However, AAT can be especially beneficial for those suffering from mild or more advanced memory loss.

Here at Magnolia Manor we’re working hard to keep our residents’ spirits up during these trying COVID-19 times. Naturally that includes spiritual care as well as keeping minds and bodies engaged. After all, we are a faith-based community. Leading the way in this effort is John Walker, Senior Chaplain at our Americus campus and Vice President of Spiritual Care for all nine of our Magnolia Manor campuses.

“It’s totally changed the structure of worship,” he says.

These days we are so enthralled with all the ways we can connect with loved ones electronically, we almost forget about good, old-fashioned postcards and letters. You know – the ones that come in the mail. We rudely refer to it as “snail” mail because it takes a few days (so long!) to arrive. Hardly the split-second communication we’ve become accustomed to in our impatient world.

Here at Magnolia Manor, we consider every resident to be a member of our family as well as yours. Since the coronavirus first became known, we have taken maximum precautions that go beyond CDC and State of Georgia guidelines to protect our residents and staff from this very serious health concern. It hasn’t been fun, but it is important! And our diligent efforts are paying off.

UPDATED VISITATION INFORMATION AS OF 11/1/2020:

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought home to all of us just how vital it is to stay connected with loved ones, especially our seniors. Right away, as soon as stay-at-home orders were being issued, our Magnolia Manor team jumped into action. We created Family Connect, a program to keep our residents in touch with their families. No physical contact allowed, maybe, but our goal was to ensure plenty of face time.

We are both proud and pleased to say that Family Connect has been a tremendous success, for everyone involved.

Feeling a little too cooped-up in self-quarantine? By now we’re all going a bit stir crazy. For seniors who live alone, physical separation from friends and loved ones can feel especially difficult. Psychologists suggest you should take heart knowing that literally billions of others around the world are also staying at home, many of them alone.

But let’s be honest. Knowing you’re not alone doesn’t really make you feel less alone, does it? It’s time to take action!

It’s so hard knowing your grandkids are close-by, yet, thanks to coronavirus-inspired social distancing, they cannot visit in person so you can hug and smooch and chat with them in the usual ways. Even under normal conditions, lots of grandparents don’t have the luxury of living near their adult children and grandkids. So they know a little something about keeping in touch even when you can’t literally touch each other.

Here are some tips from grandparents who have found rewarding ways to stay connected during these difficult times and beyond.

There is no tougher job than serving as someone’s caregiver. And when the person you’re helping is a loved one, your close relationship can make the “job” even more stressful. It’s so hard to see your aging Mom or Dad struggle. And it’s all too easy to feel exhausted, overwhelmed and isolated as you try to help. Yet there are more than 34 million unpaid caregivers in the US responsible for assisting adults 50 or older. Almost 16 million of them care for someone who has Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia.