The Connections Bridgewater Somerville Edition Sept/Oct/Nov

theconnectionsnj.com PAGE 39 SENIOR LIVING Senior Living At Its Best All the conveniences life offers on a Resort Style Life Plan Community 877-758-2115 ways to live an inspired life. A vibrant destination community, with world class amenities and a state-of-the-art health center. We have been welcoming seniors eager to start the next chapter of their lives, without compromising on the high quality lifestyle you are accustomed to. Fellowship Village offers multiple 5- Star dining options, including our new Indoor/Outdoor Tapas Bar and Lounge. A Cultural Arts Center designed to bring you theater, opera, and various forms of live entertainment, all on a vibrant 72 acre campus where you can Live Your Best Life! And Fellowship offers a full continuum of onsite services to give you the peace of mind you can age in place. Offering an abundance of choices! 8000 Fellowship Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 FellowshipSeniorLiving.org by Ellyn Mantell There are no words to express the grat- itude we feel to all the facilities that did all they could to keep our parents alive during COVID! Our Mom as well as the Moms and Dads of friends and acquaintances, have all survived because of the valiant steps taken by senior facilities, and I strongly feel we could have not done as well our- selves, if given the same task. How dif cult must it have been to keep the senior com- munity in quarantine for well over a year? As my readers know, “our” Mom is at the Chelsea at Warren (Eleanor is my mother-in-law, with whom I am as close as can be) and throughout the pandemic, I cannot imagine what my husband, sister- in-law and I would have done had she not been safe. It was dif cult enough to take care of ourselves, but what would we have done if she needed her meals and many needs met? If we ever had any question that a facility works for seniors, we have long gotten past it…we know it works! There were countless rules we need- ed to follow once the restrictions began to be lifted, and the Executive Director, Farrah Molfetta was wonderful in keeping us updated. At the beginning, Mom was allowed to leave her room and meet with us outdoors, masks on. That was most dif- cult because Mom could not bear wear- ing it at times, and forgot the need and the reason, so we felt like drill sergeants constantly reminding her to put it back on. Then she was able to eat meals with the other residents, no longer needing to eat alone in her room. Eventually, we were able to visit indoors, and would be COVID rapid tested prior to seeing her each time. That easily added another half hour to our planned time with her, but necessary, so we gladly did it. In all honesty, I have no idea how Far- rah and her team managed to do so well. During lockdown, we all brought cakes, cookies and food for moral support, but that only goes so far. There must have been moments of desperation when everyone at Chelsea wondered if it would ever end… would there ever be another “normal” day? Who would be sick next? How many hours can they continue to keep working to take over for those who were sick? No doubt there was loss of life during those many months of lockdown and quar- antine, as well as the transition period, but as always, there is great discretion in facil- ities and only the family and those close are privy to that information. There were numbers mentioned in the newspapers, but it was much better for us to concen- trate on how well Mom was coping. The chef even devised a portable steaming ta- ble and went from room to room to bring the residents hot and delicious food….no doubt, a highlight of their day. Although we talked about the “what ifs” of having Mom at our home and caring for her needs, we are so grateful that she was where she was meant to be. The Greatest Generation has certainly seen it all, and sur- vived it all, and they can add this to their impressive list of accomplishments. The Chelsea at Warren was one of the many senior facilities that earned their stripes during the COVID war, and we are eternally grateful! There are many, and my guess is they all did whatever they could to protect and keep alive their residents. We feel so fortunate to be able to look back on a potentially devastating time and know the hand of fate helped us make the right decision years ago and look forward to it continuing. THANK YOU FOR KEEPING OUR PARENTS ALIVE! S C Although we talked about the “what ifs” of having Mom at our home and caring for her needs, we are so grateful that she was where she was meant to be. The Greatest Generation has certainly seen it all, and survived it all, and they can add this to their impressive list of accomplishments.