FRESNO, California (KGPE) – Paintbrush Assisted Living and Memory Care in Fresno celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a party for residents and staff.
“I’m enjoying myself so much here!” said resident Mike Krukowski.
They’re also looking back at how far they’ve come in the past year.
“The residents have spent time not just indoors, but a couple of times they’ve had to be quarantined to their own rooms for periods of time. That was very hard on them,” said Executive Director Jennifer Vasquez.
“It’s great to be out and about and being able to play bingo and all our games,” said resident Patty Simonian.
With more than 80% of their residents now vaccinated, the facility is allowing visits with family members outdoors, or in a designated location indoors with a barrier and social distancing.
“It’s very hard for them to physically stay away from one another,” said Vasquez. “They haven’t seen each other in a long time, so their natural inclination is to want to touch and hug and kiss, so, you know, we have to try and keep that at a minimum.”
Vasquez said hopefully by next week, families will be able to spend time with the residents in their apartments.
“That’ll be a huge milestone,” Vasquez said.
She said they’re also looking forward to having live entertainment again in the near future, moving towards the return to normalcy that the residents and staff have been waiting for.
