Residents at The Village of St. Edward in Fairlawn and Green are enjoying in-person visits with loved ones again
By Patricia Nugent
The power of a hug is like a ripple on water: far-reaching, pervasive, profound.
When the doors were reopened for personal visits at The Village of St. Edward last month, and residents and their loved ones could finally give each other a long-awaited hug, the scene was magical and heartwarming.
“When our doors had to shut in 2020 due to the pandemic, there were so many different emotions and uncertainties,” says Megan Bright, corporate director of marketing and sales for The Village of St. Edward. “Being able to watch and assist in families reuniting with loved ones has been so incredibly special. It’s truly been the rainbow after the storm we all went through in 2020. It was a trying year for our families, residents and employees. No one knew how long it would last, what effects it would have, and how we would all come out of it.”
Time for Reunion
Marcy Booth has lived at the Village’s Fairlawn campus for the past 17 years. The sweet-hearted 94-year-old is in assisted living.
Her daughter Kathy says that although the days were long and sad, her mom never lost hope.
Missing an entire year of family celebrations and birthdays made it all the sweeter to see her mother in person again.
“Luckily, this place has always felt like home to her, and I’m thankful to the staff, who worked tirelessly to make sure it still felt homey,” says Kathy. “Mom has enjoyed the activities such as the hall games and the book cart to keep engaged while staying socially distanced.”
What’s on tap for summer? The ladies both say getting outdoors again for short walks around the patio and pond, as well as shopping.
Behind-the-Scenes Heroes
During the pandemic, all of the families and residents we interviewed for this story called the staff “heroic.” Going the extra mile coordinating FaceTime visits, taking and sending lots of pictures, providing their own one-on-one visits and coming up with creative yet safely distanced activities was a challenge they rose to.
Melissa Strainer, who is resident life director at the Village campus in Green, calls seeing residents visit their families in person the “happiest of endings.”
“I’ve been talking to these loved ones and seeing them through windows for over a year, so it was an amazing experience to finally meet them,” she says. “It was like the air here was lifted. Everyone is so happy. Our lives have come full circle.”
She says the staff did its best to create and celebrate special moments, such as when she dressed up in a bunny costume and visiting people in their apartments for photos at Easter or taking pictures of the residents around the Christmas tree and sharing them with families.
“We also communicated with families to let them know their loved ones’ schedule, so they had talking points for their virtual visits,” says Melissa. “The silver lining to the lockdown is we got to know our residents better. There were lots of blessings along the way.”
Now that their doors are open again, with all the safety measures still in place, Megan is thankful to everyone for coming together.
“Our communities and employees stepped up in ways I’m sure they never imagined having to,” she says. “Our families cheered us on and did everything they could to show their love and support for us working so hard to keep their loved ones safe.”
The faith-based, not-for-profit Village of St. Edward has three locations: Fairlawn, at 3125 Smith Road, 330-668-2828; Green, 3813 Fortuna Drive, 234-294-0010; and Wadsworth, 880 Main Street, 234-217-8735. There are no long-term contracts and residents will not be asked to leave if they run out of funds. For more information, or to take a virtual visit, go to VSECommunities.org.