The week before Valentine’s Day as a way to share a little Valentine’s love, employees were given the opportunity to sign up to adopt a resident as their “Secret Valentine.” Staff members could choose a resident(s) to adopt and bring them small gifts, notes, or treats throughout the week. These special gifts were placed in the residents’ rooms when they were out or else by another person. At the end of the week, the Secret Valentine revealed who they were when delivering their last gift. The gifts didn’t need to be elaborate or expensive, just sweet reminders of how special each resident is and how loved they all are every day!
Sunday morning a small group of residents gathered together to watch the Roanoke Apostolic Christian Church Service together as it was live streamed. We are so grateful that throughout this COVID pandemic church services have been made available and that we can continue to be filled with God’s word and encouraged in this way. In addition, these church services are replayed on activity channel 2 at various times throughout the week. Sometimes when technology doesn’t work perfectly, that just adds to our learning to be adaptable and patient through this challenging time. That evening sports fans enjoyed watching the Super Bowl broadcast as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
Monday’s activities were our usual Manicure Monday, morning walks, & BINGO. It was nice to be able to have a small group of residents gather together to play BINGO. Some residents also played along in their rooms. The evening window hymn sing group had to cancel due to the cold weather. Instead on activity channel 2, a Sing-A-Long Gospel Music DVD “Peace in the Valley” was shown while activity staff visited with residents in their rooms.
Tuesday morning and afternoon residents decorated heart-shaped sugar cookies with icing and Valentine sprinkles. Thank you to Activity Assistant Phyllis Eden for baking all of the cookies and making the icing for this fun activity. Each cookie was made and decorated with tender loving care. Some residents ate their cookie right away while others wanted to save them for a little later. We continued decorating these on Wednesday afternoon as well.
The Tuesday Travelogue was a Sentimental Reflections DVD. The Cover Story was Carnegies Libraries. The Scenic America portion featured the tranquility and beauty of the Indiana shore of the Ohio River. Bardstown Kentucky took the spotlight in an off-the-beaten path segment. Activity staff also passed out the weekly word searches. The themes were Valentine’s Day & Chocolate Month--one of them was even in the shape of a heart! These paper and pencil games are really enjoyed by many and sure help pass the time.
Wednesday morning a lot of residents played BINGO again. Adorable handmade Valentine’s from L-W Achiever’s 4-H Club were received. What a delightful surprise! These were extra special as one of the 4-H members is a great granddaughter of resident June Clevenger. Thank you for sending these special notes of love. That afternoon the DVD Legacy Five Live in Peoria was played on activity channel 2. One employee attended this filming at a big church and said it was very interesting to see the production equipment and techniques used throughout the making of this DVD.
Thursday started with Morning Stretch Chair Exercises shown on activity channel 2. This helped everyone wake up and get moving from head to toes. That afternoon a fun and active game called Cupid’s Arrow was played. Residents tossed arrows at heart shaped targets to win points. Of course, the center, red heart was the “bullseye.” In recognition of National Peppermint Patty Day, staff passed out a peppermint patty candy to each resident that afternoon. In the evening, activity staff read Valentine Poems with residents.
Friday during Step Back in Time, residents enjoyed reminiscing about Valentine memories. Some talked about how they decorated an old shoebox to take to school for exchanging Valentine cards with classmates and friends. Others shared about special dates with their spouses. That afternoon the most beautiful and delicious sugar cookies were passed to residents and staff. These were provided by the Roanoke Apostolic Christian HOPE 7th & 8th grade girls, who did such an amazing job decorating the heart-shaped cookies. Each cookie looked like a work of art!
Also that afternoon was a unique and really neat window visit by the local Girl Scout Troop 417. Under the warmth of our outdoor heater and with the convenience of our intercom by door C, the young girls told about some of the negatives and positives of COVID in their lives. They also sang some songs and read Valentine cards they had made. The final activity they did with the residents was paint and draw on the window. The girls were so cheerful and creative; they certainly brightened the residents’ day with their joyful spirits!
The busy day concluded with an evening movie shown on activity channel 2 entitled The Lost Valentine.
Staff was blessed with handmade Valentines this week, too. The heartfelt cards were made by RBJHS students in Mrs. Gerber’s class. Each one was unique with a personal message addressed to every employee along with a little bag of chocolates. It was impressive to see the writing skills still being taught in school as well as our youth being shown the importance of thinking of others who are perhaps struggling during a difficult situation of life. All certainly appreciated the encouragement and thoughtfulness of this teacher and her students!
Saturday morning the classic Disney movie Lady and the Tramp was played on activity channel 2.