Business View Magazine | May 2020

5 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MAY 2020 OPENING L INES house television channels, where staff launched in-home exercises for residents and worship services, including a special Good Friday and Easter service. They are also encouraging residents to go outdoors for regular exercise and to enjoy nature. We have to look at serving residents holistically – mind, body, and spirit. We know social isolation is proven to negatively impact one’s overall health and well-being, so ‘social distancing’ is not proper for us; therefore, we use terms like ‘physical distancing’ instead. We need everyone to maintain proper physical distancing to avoid the risk of the virus.” Many residents are former clinicians, nurses and doctors, scientists and epidemiologists, teachers and professors, and corporate executives responsible for directing large organizations and they have provided vital feedback. “We’ve benefitted greatly by the collective brain trust of our residents and the open lines of communication we foster with them,” said Anderson. “Our leadership team receives emails, voice and video messages, and hand-written notes from residents, which all applaud the efforts taken by Village On The Isle to safeguard residents and staff. We value our residents’ opinions as we do not want them to feel trapped in their homes during this pandemic. We want them to be safe and able to make good decisions for themselves. We also want them to find purpose through all the current circumstances.” “I believe the general public underestimates how active elders are in their communities,” Anderson added. “Some people, including healthcare providers, believe we are one giant nursing home, which is the furthest from the truth. Our residents remain as active as they did in their younger years and maybe even more nowadays. They play golf and tennis, go to the gym daily, fish and enjoy the beaches, work part-time jobs, consult, and volunteer in their churches or other community groups. Our nation has major blind spots and we need to quit judging and perceiving the capabilities of older adults by their physical appearances. Our elders are capable of making major decisions throughout their life. They are active and can be amazing contributors to make us a better and more caring and loving society. “It is unfortunate that long-term care providers are seemingly often viewed under one, negative lens. I firmly believe this is not an accurate portrayal of the dedicated people working in these facilities. In fact, our long-term care providers have some of the most capable staff and medical advisors in caring for the nation’s most vulnerable. I also believe it is imperative that long-term care facilities have increased