November 2020

Manatawny Manor

Update from our Executive Director ...

Personal care update: Our deep appreciation

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All hands on deck! This is one of the secrets why Manatawny Manor has

exceeded expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic!

We have great staff members willing to roll up their sleeves and embrace additional responsibilities and obligations, staff who continuously follow protocols and safety practices.

Thank you is not enough for these men and women, who tirelessly help and go above and beyond every single day! Manatawny Manor is truly blessed by its exceptional staff.

Our guard is always up and will remain that way. We are always reviewing our processes and revising them as needed for the safety of our residents and staff.

We have been scheduling family visitations and salon appointments since late August as well as beginning communal dining activities. These are wonderful changes!

In the near future, a campus-specific COVID-19 testing kit will be used for residents and staff. There is also potential news on a vaccine becoming available later

I want to express appreciation and thanks to so many people for their efforts during this chal-

lenging time.

A big thank you to the personal care residents for enduring the many months of separation from those they love and yet managing to find a way to get through all of this with a positive outlook. They learned what Zoom is, they embraced the reopening of the dining room and two-meal seating plan with open arms, they quickly caught on to physical- distancing and the wear-ing of masks, and they exercised patience day in and day out. Most importantly, they demonstrated concern for the staff, concern about their loved ones and concern for one another. The resilience this gen-eration has demonstrated is a testament to the times they have been through in their lives and their ability to adapt and to always find a way. Every day I learn something new from one of them. A very sincere and heartfelt thanks to those who have sent ‘thinking of you’ cards, food for staff, Bingo prizes for residents, treats for the

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It’s being called a double whammy—the annual flu

season is colliding with the still- active coronavirus. Manatawny Manor has a comprehensive plan to help protect residents and staff from the flu, which, in turn, helps support efforts to defend against the COVID-19 disease. “The flu is similar to the coronavirus in that they both will attack your respiratory system,” explains Sheila Schell, RN, assistant director of nursing. “Fortunately, we have a vaccine that attacks the flu.”Through October, Schell and her staff have been administering flu shots to all staff at Manatawny Manor and to all residents who have

given permission to receive the injection. She offers the following tips and recommendations:

S Be an early bird. “It’s best to get the flu shot in early fall, ideally by the end of October,” Schell says. “It’s still available beyond then, but earlier is better.”

S Check with your doctor. Talk with your personal health-care provider if you have questions or concerns about receiving a flu shot.

S Make it a family affair. If you have a loved one at Manatawny Manor and you visit regularly, you are encouraged to get a flu shot. “It’s really the best way to protect your loved one,” Schell says. “And if you feel sick, please stay home.”

S Do it every year. “You have to get a flu shot yearly because the virus changes every year,” Schell explains. “The flu vaccine has had a good safety record for more than 50 years.”

S Be aware of added risk with chronic diseases. The flu shot means even more to those with chronic health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and respiratory illnesses such as asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). “It’s an important preventive tool in people with chronic diseases,” Schell says. “And most people in long-term care have these diseases.”

Protect yourself and your loved ones with a flu shot

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this year or early next. We will share with you what we learn.

In the meantime, please accept my heartfelt appreciation for your role in helping to keep Manatawny Manor a safe and wonderful place to live.

Joenel Torrillo, Executive Director

refreshment cart, crafts for activities and Halloween cards. These acts of kindness have brightened everyone’s day, helped to sustain everyone through the dark days and remind them someone was thinking of them. For staff, these acts were very meaningful. The outpouring of generosity and support from the community was overwhelming. And to our families, I express special thanks for thinking of us. It means the world to all of us when one of you says “thank you for what you do.” To the personal care staff, words do very little to express the depth of my appreciation. This year has been difficult for all of us at work, not to mention everyone’s personal lives.

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Ginny Rathman’s 33 years with Diakon—the last 13 at Manatawny Manor—have been spent in the area of activities. Except for a brief

stint as secretary for a Meals on Wheels program, she has devoted her time to creating fun ways for residents to stay engaged and active.“Like Oprah Winfrey, I believe people continue to grow even as they are aging,” Rathman says. “I have a wide variety of interests and whatever I am involved in personally, I like to bring to the residents.”

Rathman, whose official title is activities assistant, believes she is more fit-tingly the “Creator of Experiences.” For example, she has turned her own involvement in a fashion show fundraiser for Goodwill into a series of funny fashion shows with residents as the models.

Rathman’s interest in community theater has led to residents putting on plays, complete with costumes and scenery fashioned from items such as cardboard boxes, refuse bags and plastic table clothes. The activity room stands in as the theater. She also has an interest in art as a result of her mother’s talent as a nature artist and began an art club for residents, display-ing their work in various locations at Manatawny Manor.

“I adapt with abstract art with our residents so that they are not intimidat-ed,” Rathman says. “I tell them that there are no mistakes with abstract art!”One of the residents’ favorite activities, and what Rathman describes as her “most successful,” is the indoor holiday parade that usually takes place be-tween Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“We would have animals—including a mini horse and an alpaca in the past—and a brass band,” she says. “Residents would carry large, themed Mylar balloons. Staff have made creative floats using a bed frame.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused this year’s parade to be suspended—but not without a different special event.

“We had already been planning another parade, which we called ‘Flora de Mayo’,” Rathman explains. “Staff decorated parasols, dressed up in gowns, played music with floral themes and went into each unit to pass out flowers. We all had fun!” The pandemic resulted in other adaptations, but never a total shut

Longtime activities assistant keeps the fun going

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No matter what your postion is here, everyone’s job has changed a little bit. It has been all hands on deck since the first appearance of the virus that can cause COVID-19 disease and we continue to work every day with that mindset. Responsibilities and tasks are different. Yet day in and day out, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we are here doing what we do. The goals have never

changed: keep the residents safe, meet their needs and try to brighten their day and put a smile on their face. I truly appreciate everyone’s contributions to that effort. Many Hands. One Heart. I see our Diakon theme in action every day, through the acts of staff, residents and families. Thank you all!

Jean Wassel, Personal Care Home Administrator 3

Diakon does not discriminate in admissions, the provision of services, or referrals of clients on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other classes protected by law.

30 Old Schuylkill RoadPottstown, PA 19465ManatawnySeniorLiving.org

S Give it time. “It takes about two weeks from the time of your flu shot to build up the antibodies for protection,” Schell says. “Be aware also that even if you get a flu shot, you may get a touch of the flu; however, the severity will be much less than if you had not gotten the injection.”

S Don’t misunderstand the mask. Schell says some people may think that since they wear a mask to protect from corona virus, it will help with the flu. Not true. “A mask is not going to prevent you from getting the flu,” she says.

Public health experts are advising of the potential for a challenging fall and winter because of the annual flu season’s intersection with the coronavirus. Schell says getting a flu shot is one of the best ways everyone can help.

“The impact of these two illnesses on the health-care system could be substantial,” she says. “If we can avoid people having to go to the hospital because of the flu, that’s less of a strain on the system.”

One final bit of advice from Schell: If you previously declined the flu shot and have changed your mind, it’s not too late to receive one. Just let a member of the nursing staff know of your decision.

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down of activities. Rathman always has had games that could be played one-on-one, which she continued to do, as well as games that could be easily disinfected.

“We switched to paper cards for Bingo and disinfected the chips after ev-ery use,” she says. “Residents came into the hallway to be socially distant. Now we can use the activities room, playing with up to eight people, one resident at each of our eight tables.”

Without family visits during the pandemic quarantine, staff facilitated calls on Zoom and took the opportunity to take more photos of residents to send to family and post on Manatawny Manor’s Facebook page.“For the photos, we made signs residents could hold with different mes-sages for their family members,” Rathman says. “Family could see that their loved ones were doing okay.”

Rathman also arranged for visits by animals, such as the alpacas, which their owners brought to the outside of the building so residents could view them through windows. A local group of motorcycle riders rode around the facility for residents to watch. Other entertainers have performed on the front sidewalk under the carport.

During the quarantine, Rathman put her creativity to the test, challenging herself to find even more fun things for residents to do and keep an upbeat outlook.

“I’ve tried to look at the positives,” Rathman says. “For instance, residents who were reluctant in the past to participate in group activities responded to the one-on-one activities. I’ve learned more about some residents’ inter-ests doing virtual museum tours. As a result, I’ve developed deeper rela-tionships with some residents. That’s a blessing.”

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