‘I’ve missed them so much:’ Residence at Hilltop residents get hugs again as restrictions ease

By Taylor Brown
tbrown@yourmvi.com

As Mary Ann Konsugar hugged her mother Jean Ambrose in her apartment at the Residence at Hilltop on Wednesday, there was not a dry eye in the room.
It had been more than a year since the mother and daughter had seen each other without a plexiglass partition between them.
Jean found out two of her eight children, Mary Ann and her sister Vicky Fafalios, would finally be allowed to visit — and give her a long-anticipated hug.
The Residence at Hilltop in Carroll Township stopped visitations last March, which Administrator Kim Taliani hoped at the time would only last for a few weeks.
Throughout the pandemic, guests were permitted to visit outside with family, separated by plexiglass, and then inside in separated areas, but were never allowed to touch or be closer than six feet apart.
A year later, the living facility opened its doors to family members for the first time.
Three residents were surprised by their families in the morning, with 10 additional visits scheduled throughout the building from 5 to 6 p.m.
Residents who live there will now be able to visit, hug, kiss and spend time with their relatives, two at a time, for scheduled daily visits.
“It has been a tough year,” Taliani said. “On family, on our residents, on our staff. It’s been tough for everyone, seeing them having to be separated from their loved ones. We did our best to step in, because we really are like a family here, but there is nothing that can replace the feeling of hugging your own family.”
Taliani said she and her staff tried to step in as much as possible to provide support, and sympathized with family members who were not permitted inside.
“They would call and ask us to sit with their mother or father, to check in on them, to visit with them,” she said. “And we did.”
Family of residents who moved in during the pandemic, until Wednesday, had never seen the apartments where their loved ones were living.
Staff at the Residence at Hilltop moved them in, helped them put away their things, and to decorate.
“We did everything we could, but today is a very exciting and emotional day,” Taliani said. “One, we have been waiting for a long time. For the past year, it just seemed like something was missing. The families who will visit today and in the coming weeks were that missing piece. There have been a lot of happy tears today.”

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Jenn Codeluppi / Mon Valley Independent
Residence at Hilltop resident Lou Ceccarelli was visited by his great-grandson Christian and granddaughter Jennifer Popelas. This is the first time his family has seen his room in person since he moved there.