By Greg Asimakoupoulos, Chaplain, Covenant Living at the Shores
Easter morning found residents at Covenant Living at the Shores gathered outside at the lakeside for a sunrise service. Due to protocols related to COVID at the continuing care retirement community, it was the first opportunity to worship in person in over a year.
Sixty people, having been fully vaccinated, braved a cold and drizzly morning to celebrate Christ’s resurrection without masks while seated shoulder to shoulder.
Greg Asimakoupoulos (campus chaplain) and Bob Howell (executive director) led the thirty minute service. Chaplain Greg referred to the nearby 115 year old willow that has been dubbed “the resurrection tree.” Three years ago the gigantic tree collapsed from old age. The removal of the tree the campus held a memorial service for their fallen friend. But within six months the remaining stump regenerated. Today it stands as strong and beautiful as before. It is a symbol of the Easter message year round.
Journey to Open
By Bob Howell, Executive Director, Covenant Living at the Shores
It has been a long year for everyone. The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed almost every aspect of our lives. At Covenant Living at the Shores staff has been overwhelmed with all the new, shifting, and at time inconsistent guidelines, requirements and regulations issued by the County, State and CMS. Despite living in a community, our residents have been isolated and lonely with many of their routines curtailed and services restructured to meet social distancing guidelines. Our residents’ families worried about not being able to visit their family members – whether to check on their general well-being/provide support or worse if they contracted the virus.
The good news is that we have had very little COVID-19 on campus. With strict guidelines about who is on campus, social distancing, and mask-wearing we have avoided the major breakouts that many other communities have experienced.
Even better, most staff and all residents received the first and second vaccines shots. With the blessing of King County and meeting their guidelines we will begin to reopen the campus to visitors and resume some services. With an expanded definition of Compassionate Care and the Especial Support Person designation both the Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing communities will begin indoor visitations along with the window visits and weather appropriate patio visits from family and friends.
In our Residential Living area, residents will be able to have visitors in their apartments for daytime visits and overnights stays. Our Lodge Dining Room will open with limited capacity for in-person dining. The beauty salon will open for the Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living and Residential community, along with many other services.
We acknowledge that we are not fully open and that we will continue the disciplines that have kept us safe for the foreseeable future. But we are thankful for some return to normalcy and the opportunity to begin to live in community again. We are thankful for the support of the larger community that has accompanied us on this journey and look forward to engaging more in the days and months ahead. A year ago, I could not have imagined the experience this past year held for all of us. But we have all learned and come to appreciate our lives in new and different ways and look forward to all God has for us in the coming year.
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