Pandemic can’t stop Mother’s Day
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
Wearing plastic gloves and a face mask and sitting in a rocking chair wrapped in a blanket, 93-year-old Jeanne Conchilla got an early Mother’s Day treat Friday that brought tears to her eyes.
Conchilla lives at The Residence at Hilltop assisted living facility in Carroll Township. On Friday, for the first time since coronavirus pandemic shutdown orders caused senior and personal care facilities in Pennsylvania to prohibit in-person visitation, she got to hold the hand of her daughter and namesake, Jeanne Brewer.
This weekend, in celebration of Mother’s Day, the Residence at Hilltop staff and management introduced a new visitation program, which has been dubbed “The Rock-n-Talk.”
A large white tent, which extends from a porch lined with rocking chairs spaced at least 6 feet apart, has been set up on the front lawn of the facility. The porch, which was already a popular place for residents to visit with their families prior to the pandemic, is now also lined with plexiglass guards that hang from the roof and extend to the porch’s railing.
Those guards, similar to plexiglass barriers that can be seen at cash registers in gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacies, separate the tent — where visitors sit — and the porch — where residents sit when their loved ones come to visit.
As long as they have gloves on, visitors are allowed to hold their loved one’s hands by reaching through the railing.
Earlier this week, family members scheduled times to visit with their loved ones this weekend in the Rock-n-Talk space.
The staff expects a lot of visitors this weekend and is asking families not to show up without scheduling a time, administrator Kim Taliani said. Today, male and female residents will be allowed to visit with family members, who will be required to wear masks and gloves, for 15- to 20-minute sessions.
On Mother’s Day, 42 moms who live at the Residence at Hilltop will visit with their kids, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Visitors and residents will be treated to hot cocoa and marshmallows to help keep warm.
Conchilla burst into tears as she made her way onto the porch Friday.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said to her daughter as she wiped tears from her cheek. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
Conchilla said she was thrilled that the staff found a way for her to visit with Brewer, and she was almost speechless by how excited and emotional she was about the visit.
“It’s a lot to take in one day,” she said through the plexiglass shield. “I’m just so happy to see her. This is so nice.”
Conchilla and Brewer haven’t seen each other since Easter, when the Residence at Hilltop’s management allowed families to do “window visits” with their loved ones in the facility’s dining room. But after their initial greetings Friday, the two chatted as if no time had passed at all.
“I got my nails done,” Conchilla said to her daughter, “But you probably can’t see them because of the gloves.”
“I can see them,” Brewer replied “They look really pretty. You look beautiful.”
Conchilla also took a little time to make some remarks that are typical of a doting mother.
“Are you warm enough?” She asked Brewer as she looked to see if she was wearing a jacket.
“Yes Mom, I’m fine,” Brewer replied.
Brewer talks to her mom on the phone every day and visited her almost daily prior to the pandemic. She said Conchilla is “doing very well” with adapting to life and changes during the pandemic.
“She misses her friends, family and neighbors, but she understands why precautions are being taken and what is going on,” Brewer said.
Taliani agreed, saying that Conchilla is “a delight” to be around.
“She really gets what is going on is so understanding and pleasant,” Taliani said. “She never has a complaint or a negative word to say.”
The Residence at Hilltop, an extension of Monongahela Valley Hospital, will continue to offer the Rock-n-Talk visitations after this weekend. Up to three visitors, who must be family members, will be allowed to schedule 30-minute visits with their loved ones. Families who have more than three visitors present will be asked to take turns.
There are no age limits on who can visit, but the staff said visitors who show signs of being ill or who have a fever will be turned away and are asked not to attempt to visit.
Brewer said she’s grateful the staff at the Residence at Hilltop organized the improvised visitation policy.
“They’re wonderful here,” she said. “I am so glad they were able to set this up. It’s really nice.”
Taliani said her staff is “stellar.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better staff,” she said, adding that staff members have been going out of their way to spend extra time with residents.
“We’re very excited and our staff finds it rewarding that families get to visit this weekend,” she said. “Our residents are very involved with their families, so this means a lot to all of us.”
Taliani said her staff members “are heroes” and added that she has been trying to find clever ways to thank them for their dedication.
“Even in all of the negativity we have become closer,” she said, adding that she has been trying to reward the staff with activities such as coloring contests, a Cinco de Mayo walking taco party and a lottery ticket scavenger hunt.
Families scheduled to visit loved ones at The Residence at Hilltop are urged to bring their own masks, but mask will be provided if they do not have one, along with gloves.
