Much has been lost this past year because of the pandemic but Friday at one senior assisted living facility there was a reminder of something we might have taken for granted, the power of a hug.“It’s really been a year that some of our residents haven’t been hugged,” said Laura Lamb, President and CEO of Episcopal Retirement Services.ERS got the idea for “hug huts” after residents shared what has been most difficult for them in the pandemic.“l was talking to our residents about what was most difficult for them in the pandemic and story after story it related to physical touch,” Lamb said.Dupree House is one of the facilities operated by ERS. Pat Donaldson, 93, is a resident who worked on the hug huts project. All of the residents have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.“l broke down completely when I gave her a hug. I forgot the humanness, the heart, the health, the simple feeling behind a hug,” Donaldson said.All visitors had to get their temperature taken and fill out a health questionnaire. About 150 people signed up for hugs today. There are five hug huts at five different locations in the ERS retirement community.
Much has been lost this past year because of the pandemic but Friday at one senior assisted living facility there was a reminder of something we might have taken for granted, the power of a hug.
“It’s really been a year that some of our residents haven’t been hugged,” said Laura Lamb, President and CEO of Episcopal Retirement Services.
ERS got the idea for “hug huts” after residents shared what has been most difficult for them in the pandemic.
“l was talking to our residents about what was most difficult for them in the pandemic and story after story it related to physical touch,” Lamb said.
Dupree House is one of the facilities operated by ERS. Pat Donaldson, 93, is a resident who worked on the hug huts project. All of the residents have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“l broke down completely when I gave her a hug. I forgot the humanness, the heart, the health, the simple feeling behind a hug,” Donaldson said.
All visitors had to get their temperature taken and fill out a health questionnaire. About 150 people signed up for hugs today.
There are five hug huts at five different locations in the ERS retirement community.