Planning Valentine’s Day date nights or visits with family and friends seems a long way off. COVID-19 has changed so much — particularly in how we can interact with those we love. But for folks working in aging services and the people we serve, caring hasn’t stopped–because it can’t.

Nowhere is that care felt like in a community like Beacon Hill. We’ve taken the necessary steps to protect our vulnerable residents from the virus — steps that have often required loved ones to remain apart.

We know these measures aren’t easy for anyone—residents and their families. We see it on the faces of our residents. We hear it in the voices on the other end of phone calls from loved ones wondering when they can visit once again.

We know that the care we provide is no substitute for care from a spouse, a son or daughter, or a visit from the grandkids. But we also know the last year has called upon us to provide an even deeper level of care, and to help residents who can’t be with their families. For many of our residents, COVID-19 precautions have meant staff are the people they interact with in person more often. And that calls for more than care. It calls for love.

So we’ve looked for ways to provide connection points, through socially-distanced hallway games to snack carts, equestrian visits to PAWS With A Cause.

We also know that we need to do everything we can to help connect our residents to their loved ones. It’s critical to their health and well-being, and it’s also the right thing to do. We’ve facilitated hundreds of video connections, and outdoor visits when permitted.

Because Valentine’s Day is so special to loved ones, we’re making extra efforts to make this year’s event special, in both our independent living and assisted living buildings. In addition to candygrams and Valentine’s-themed snacks, we’ll be screening Valentine’s themed movies, hosting Valentine craft and putting on a mini-golf putting contest. In our independent living facility, we’ll be featuring a special Valentine’s dinner menu with king crab, filet, and chicken.

The ultimate answer, of course, is to defeat COVID-19 in our area so that isolation protocols can be lifted. We appreciate the dedication to safety across our community. Thank you to all who have opted to receive the vaccine, continue to wear a mask, and practice social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. We’re excited by the potential to get back to a sense of normalcy — so that next Valentine’s Day is even more special.