Dear Friends of Wake Robin,

From the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak, Wake Robin has been focused on creating and implementing a fluid plan of prevention for our community. We have moved forward while consistently gathering information from multiple resources to review, revise and implement future planning with the objective of keeping this community safe and sound. I am pleased to say that as of this writing there are no cases on campus. We feel very fortunate, yet realize, we must continue our vigilance for the well-being of our campus. 

Communication of our plan has been key. Our regular updates that go out to residents and their families offer an inside look of what is happening in the community as we respond to any new developments.

During this past month, there have certainly been difficult times … after all, who would have thought the campus would ever need to be secured with programing, events and even dining temporarily halted. However, it is amazing to witness the strength of each individual, who call Wake Robin home, meet to this challenge.

Residents are engaged in a variety of ways. In the Linden Health Center, just this past week, the residents have recorded over 16 hours of video chatting with their families. Equally important, residents are interacting and having fun in creative ways. We have music in the courtyard, virtual meetings for committee work and over 60 residents are participating in an Independent Living-Health Center Pen Pal program.

I am also happy to share that residents feel well cared for and have expressed to me that they consistently witness staff doing everything they possibly can for the residents’ well-being. The staff are all fully aware that this is a group effort and they continue to be mindful of how to help and support the residents as well as each other.

I can’t thank staff enough. They show up every day with courage, spirit, and humor, and they are working in ways like never before, collaborating with other departments and rising to each and every occasion. It’s remarkable to witness. I am proud to be able to work alongside them and be part of their team.  

Stay safe….stay well!

Sincerely,

Meagan Buckley, LNHA

Director of Health and Resident Services

A resident and her teddy bear video chat with a grandnephew from Maryland

A blog post by Wake Robin Physical Therapist Alexis Mittelstadt

The isolation precautions from the Coronavirus pandemic have certainly changed our daily routines and many experts warn of the risk of feeling isolated and lonely. The widely accepted guidelines for decreasing stress from isolation involve taking care of yourself and putting your wellness first. This means: practicing mindfulness via meditation or prayer; exercising; and regularly keeping in touch with friends and family.

Wake Robin is a community full of creative and innovative minds so I thought I might enter in a few of my own “offbeat” ideas and you can all take it from there!

• If you have a balcony or patio, take a note from the Italians for an impromptu outdoor concert or performance!
• Have a Facetime/Facebook/Skype/speakerphone “happy hour” with a friend or family member.
• Call 3 people you haven’t talked to in a “LONG” time. I did this and reconnected with 2 people I hadn’t talked to in years! Yes, it was a little awkward at first, but we got through it and it was great to catch up!
• Make signs of encouragement, funny quotes, funny messages, etc. out of found objects (paper/fabric/compostable containers/etc.) to hang in your window for passersby to enjoy.
• Call the kids and grand kids…most of them are probably home.
• If you have a grand kids, ask what they are learning that day. Perhaps you will learn something new!
• Pet the cat or dog a little longer…some say it can lower stress and anxiety. Probably depends a little onyour pet’s personality ?.

A resident doing in-home yoga with a campus-wide broadcast

Whatever the right fit is for you…find it! We’ll all be eager to reconnect once this is over!

By Program and Events Coordinator Jena Necrason

This quote by playwright George Bernard Shaw expresses something deeply connected to the joy we find in living and inspires us to keep our spirit of play as we move through the stages of our lives.

We hope that we can inhabit our body with an energetic mind that helps us fulfill our true potential. We hope to give our mind the gift of a body that is strong and resilient.  The synergy of mind and body helps us continue to embrace wellness, even when the going gets tough.

Working as Program and Events Coordinator here at Wake Robin has taught me many new things about active aging.  As part of the team who oversees all wellness programs and fitness spaces on campus, we keep asking two questions:

Is this an innovative way of looking at things?

How can we continue to push ourselves to embrace new and engaging trends in active aging wellness?

Residents working out on the new Keiser training machines

In December of 2019, Wake Robin opened a new Fitness Center.  Our new space offers diverse options for residents to have their Wellness needs met right here on our beautiful campus. Our Strength Studio is full of state-of-the-art Keiser Strength Training equipment.  Our Cardio Area includes numerous machines ranging from a NordicTrack Spin Bike with technology that connects the user to online workout sessions both at gyms and in spectacular outdoor locations around the globe, to recumbent bikes that support a more rehabilitation-focused workout or a low-impact exercise session.

We look for ways to offer continuing education opportunities as part of our wellness program. Interactive workshops that demonstrate equipment use, ideas for progression of exercises, and how to use newer-trend handheld equipment are a fun way to encourage confidence and motivate residents to use the new space. This initiative is key to offering residents the opportunity to see themselves as active participants, break down barriers, and find community around wellness.  Our goal is to demystify the conversation, so our residents feel included and curious to know more.

Residents are excited to find, or re-connect with, their most-healthy self and this can lead to increased fitness levels, sharper brain health, and a boost in social engagement. Empowered by knowledge and basic building blocks, residents start to envision the Fitness Center as part of who they are.

This is an exciting time for Wake Robin. We are ready to meet the future in health and happiness and just as importantly, with a continuous spirit of play.

At Wake Robin, every Friday is jeans Friday. What does this mean? Each Friday, staff is encouraged to wear their favorite denim, and in exchange, they contribute one dollar to a donation fund. The Jeans Fund started five years ago.

Wake Robin HR Director Anne Levesque donating over $2,419 to Director Rob Meehan, Community Engagment Coordinator Anna McMahon of Feeding Chittenden

Well, as Mr. Franklin said, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”

We are happy to announce that during the past year, The Jeans Fund has continued to grow to nearly $2,500. These funds are then donated to area organizations for the betterment of the local community and this year Wake Robin’s HR Director Anne Levesque presented the annual donation to Feeding Chittenden, the largest direct service emergency food provider in the state of Vermont.

Why Donate to Feeding Chittenden?

Anne summed up why Wake Robin donated to Feeding Chittenden with the following.

“Each year we take donation ideas from the staff. We then list them and ask staff to vote for their preference. In this process we also try to highlight organizations that align with our values.  At Wake Robin, we are aware of how food insecurity can be a challenge for Vermonters who work by our side, but struggle to make ends meet. Feeding Chittenden works at all levels of food production chain, matching Wake Robin’s commitment to Healthy Food in Healthcare, a national initiative to support food sustainability and promote a healthier food system.”

Filling the food shelf at Feeding Chittenden

So, on a bright January afternoon, Anne and Media-Marketing Coordinator Francis McGill visited Feeding Chittenden, which is located on North Winooski Avenue in Burlington. They met with Feeding Chittenden Director Rob Meehan and Community Engagement Manager Anna McMahon. Rob and Anna gave the Wake Robin representatives a tour of the premises while highlighting the impact and reach of Feeding Chittenden’s programs.

Feeding Chittenden’s Impact

Feeding Chittenden not only serves the community but engages it. Its Community Kitchen Academy demonstrates this. CKA is a culinary job training program led by professional Senior Chef Instructor Jim Logan where students develop the professional and inter-personal skills they need to find and retain employment in the hospitality industry. The meals they prepare in the program are then used to fight hunger in the community.

A CKA culinary student

Besides, the Academy, Feeding Chittenden feeds over 10,000 county residents through its Food Shelf, operates a “Good Food Truck” that goes directly to communities in need, provides groceries to homebound clients and rescues over one million pounds of food waste each year. 

Make a Difference

Like Wake Robin, you can make a difference by joining the fight against hunger. Give your hands and heart by volunteering, or host a food drive.

You can make financial donations to Feeding Chittenden here.