Under normal circumstances, this would be the time of year when Lutheran’s Foster Grandparents, teachers and other school support staff from the area would come together for a celebration of service to children and families in the community. Unfortunately, temporary changes had to be made to this year’s volunteer appreciation activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a replacement, staff from Lutheran Senior Housing and Foster Grandparent offices delivered no-contact thank you gifts to all volunteers outside of their homes.

“All of our foster grandparents were very excited to see us again,” said Brenda Weiler, Project Coordinator for the Lutheran Foster Grandparent Program. “We all felt honored to do this for them after everything they have done for us. We recognized over forty volunteers this year,” said Weiler. The volunteer gifts included a platter of bread and cookies made by Elegant Edibles Catering, fruit, candy, a flashlight, and a gift card.

The Lutheran Foster Grandparent Program is part of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency focused on volunteering, service, and civic engagement. The CNCS engages millions of Americans in citizen service through several Senior Corps programs.

“Our foster grandparents are local, senior citizen volunteers placed under the direction and supervision of an assigned teacher or site supervisor at our area schools,” said Weiler. “They establish a one-on-on relationship with a child in need of extra help and provide guidance in and out of the classroom. Volunteers help the students with their learning and help the teachers with special focus areas within the classroom,” she said. Foster grandparents frequently help improve students’ literacy skills like writing or reading as well as provide assistance with other subjects.

The Lutheran Foster Grandparent Program services Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegheny Counties. The program is actively searching for new recruits to serve in local schools when restrictions are lifted to do so. To qualify, volunteers must be 55 years of age or older and have an interest in serving and guiding students in a classroom setting in their own community.

With everyone’s nerves on high alert as the Novel Coronavirus continues to sweep through New York State, Senior Leadership at the Lutheran Campus in Jamestown have made sure to pay extra attention to the staff and their needs during this time of uncertainty. As a healthcare facility, nursing homes are considered an “essential business” so all staff report to work as usual, regardless of which department they work in.

“The COVID-19 public health crisis we’re facing as a society is unprecedented,” said Tom Holt, President and CEO for Lutheran. “Though our mission is to protect our residents from harm’s way at all times, we know there are some scary realities many of our staff are personally facing while not at work. Childcare, food access and meal planning, layoffs of loved ones, and other issues are plaguing our community and nation so we want to help them wherever we can,” said Holt.

Though recruitment of nursing staff remains a top priority, the Human Resources Department at Lutheran has become a hub of information on how employees can help their affected family members file for unemployment, find child care solutions in the community, information on Lutheran’s Employee Assistance Program and the SAFER program offered through The Resource Center, as well as other resources needed to supplement their altered daily life. To help ease the tension from a nutritional standpoint, Lutheran created a new program to help employees get access to meals for their families.

“We’ve all seen the store shelves and watched people hoard food during this time. It is putting a significant burden on our workers, especially those with young families. Many of them are putting in extra time to care for our residents and cannot make it to the store immediately after their shift. By then, many food supplies they need are gone,” said Holt. “As a company, we are fortunate enough to have access to food resources that others do not, so we’ve created Family Takeout Meals that our employees can sign up for regardless of position or income,” he said. The Family Takeout Meals are available free to all staff on Thursday of each week. The three-course meals feed up to four people and range from pasta and meatballs to roast turkey and stuffing. Lutheran’s Dietary Department created the new meal plan that over 175 employees took advantage of in week one. The program will continue until community workforce bans and travel restrictions are lifted.

From a wellness perspective, employees can also participate in Guided Meditation during their lunch breaks with the nursing home’s Music Therapist.

“Meditation and music is good for the body. It helps decrease stress and strengthens our immune systems,” said Elizabeth Dooher, NMT, MT-BC, Music Therapist at Lutheran. “In our short mindfulness sessions, we¬¬ scan areas of our body for discomfort, release any areas of tension, and allow the music to help us relax,” said Dooher. The sessions incorporate social distancing requirements where necessary. Dooher is also working to create Guided Meditation MP3 files for staff to listen to while not at work or who cannot make it during their break times.

“Our employees are the miracle workers here, going to extraordinary lengths for our residents and finding a sense of solidarity in the process. We have an obligation to protect them and their wellbeing just as much as our residents, and our entire leadership and management team is committed to doing that in the face of adversity,” said Holt.

**THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT A LATER DATE.** (Updated 3/9/20)

The Edgewood Communities at Lutheran have announced a new series of educational programs open to the community at the Edgewood Commons beginning in March. The new “EDGEucation Series” will bring trusted leaders and professionals from around the community to one convenient location to share information on a wide range of fun and educational topics.

The first program in the series, “3 Phases of Healing”, will be held on Wednesday, March 18, at 6:00 pm. The program is free and open to the public but RSVP is required due to limited seating. The program’s run time is estimated to be 60 minutes.

“We’re excited to relaunch our free community programming and even more excited to host them in our brand new space at the Edgewood Commons,” said Edwin Rodriguez Jr., Director of Public Relations and Marketing for Lutheran. “This is a really great topic to start with and is something all age groups can benefit learning from,” said Rodriguez.

3 Phases of Healing is presented by Jennifer Merchant, an AADP Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Clinical Nutritionist working for Barkstrom Natural Health in Jamestown.

“To heal yourself, you have to understand how you got where you are in the first place,” said Merchant. “In our workshop, attendees will learn why the body starts breaking down and how they can reverse that process to regain energy, slow down the aging process, and heal naturally,” she said. Attendees are welcome to bring questions with them for after the program.

Jennifer Merchant, AADP Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Clinical Nutritionist

Resident Council members from the Hultquist Place Assisted Living Program at Lutheran hold various fundraising events for charity throughout the year. (From left) Margaret Ostrander, Pat Treharne, and volunteer Harris Goldstein recently presented a check for $150 to the St. Susan Center represented by Bonny Scott-Sleight, the center’s Executive Director (right). St. Susan Center was one of six local nonprofits to receive a donation which came from resident, employee, and visitors’ contributions. St. Susan Center is open year round offering meals, fellowship, dignity, and respect to all who come through their doors. With the holidays approaching, food and monetary donations are encouraged. Arrangements can be made by calling 716-664-2253.