Colfax Health & Rehabilitation and COVID-19: Here’s how you can help
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — As many readers are probably aware, nursing homes are closed to visitors during the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis.
And the Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center is no exception.
CHRC will remain closed to visitors until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services “tell us that we can lift our visitor restriction,” said Kenzie Galetka, CHRC nursing home administrator, in an e-mail message to the Colfax Messenger.
“The only exception to visitors that are allowed at this time, according to the most recent guidelines, are in end-of-life situations,” she said.
As many readers also are probably aware, COVID-19 has a higher mortality rate in older people and in people with underlying health conditions.
To help protect the residents at Colfax Health and Rehab, employees are monitored for symptoms of the coronavirus every day, Galetka said.
“We ask them a series of questions regarding other symptoms they may be experiencing, along with taking their temperatures before the start of their shifts. Guidelines require us to do this. Residents also are being monitored daily,” she said.
Since CHRC cannot allow visitors, in addition to the family and friends of residents, that means all of the other regular visitors residents enjoyed — area pastors, musicians, school children, readers from the public library — also cannot come to CHRC.
The Colfax Messenger asked Galetka what community members could do to help the CHRC residents and staff members to know they are appreciated and have not been forgotten.
Here is what she had to say.
Activities
CHRC will happily accept donations for resident activities, Galetka said.
Some items that the activities department could use for one-to-one activities with residents include: Acrylic paints in a variety of colors; construction paper; white drawing paper tablets; glitter; markers/colored pencils/crayons; word searches; crossword puzzles; coloring books; old magazines; old books (Westerns, romance novels, mysteries, Amish stories are all very popular at CHRC), bubble wands and bubble solution.
“We will complete sanitization as required for incoming items for residents,” Galetka said.
Before you bring donated items, please e-mail Galetka at — HYPERLINK “mailto:kenzie.galetka@colfaxhealthandrehab.com”kenzie.galetka@colfaxhealthandrehab.com or call 715-962-3186.
PPE
With the COVID-19 crisis, personal protective equipment (PPE) is in short supply for all medical care providers.
“If community members have personal protective equipment items that they are willing to donate to CHRC, that would be incredible,” Galetka said.
The items would have to be sealed or unopened in order for CHRC to accept the donations of gloves, hand sanitizer and face masks, she said.
“The PPE shortage will continue for the foreseeable future, and those items would be so appreciated by our staff,” Galetka said.
Treats for staff
Sometimes a cookie or a donut or a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee or some other beverage can be a real pick-me-up during a shift at work.
“We would absolutely accept food donations for our staff,” Galetka said.
“We have guidelines that require us to serve food items to our staff in an individual serving, meaning we could not set donations out as a buffet style or family style meal, but we would take any donations and prepare them individually to serve the staff,” she said.
If you like to bake — or if you want to help some of the businesses in town that can only provide take-out food service now — you may want to consider donating treats or other kinds of food for CHRC staff members.
Cards & letters
CHRC “residents absolutely love mail. Who doesn’t love something other than bills and junk mail to look at, right?” Galetka said.
“We welcome any letters, pictures, and cards that community members would like to send. We will complete sanitization as required for incoming items for residents,” she said.
For those who like to write letters or send cards — or for those people who are now homeschooling their children and are looking for projects for them to do — send your cards and letters to Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center; 110 Park Drive; Colfax WI 54730.
Craft projects
For all of you crafty people out there who like to make things — or again, for a school project — CHRC would very much appreciate hand-crafted items for the residents to help brighten their days.
“The residents would love items like crafts or cards to look at during this time or to put up in their rooms,” Galetka said.
“We would ask that the individual interested in making crafty items would call ahead of time [715-962-3186] to let us know what they would be dropping off. Again, we would complete sanitization as required for incoming items to give to residents,” she said.
More cards & letters
While many people have the opportunity to telecommute during the COVID-19 crisis, that is certainly not the case for essential workers such as the staff at CHRC.
And just as the residents at CHRC would appreciate cards and letters to help pass the time, staff members at CHRC would appreciate cards and letters as well.
“We would ensure to display those for staff. This is such an uncertain and frightening time for everyone, especially those on the front lines of all this. I think I can speak for all of our staff at CHRC and say that showing your appreciation to them by writing a letter or sending a card would mean more than could ever be verbalized,” Galetka said.
Again, you can mail your cards and letters to Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center; 110 Park Drive; Colfax WI 54730.
What else?
“I want community members to know how thankful we are at CHRC for the outreach we have seen, and I am sure will continue to see, in regard to what can be done to help us out,” Galetka said.
“We urge everyone to continue to do their part to flatten the curve of COVID-19, so that we can get back to a normal routine sooner than later. Please continue to take all of the necessary precautions, follow the Safer at Home Order, and most of all, continue to be kind to one another. These items will be of most help to our vulnerable population,” she said.
“I also want the community to know just how much heart and care our staff put into their jobs here every day, but especially during this uncertain time,” Galetka said.
“It has been amazing to see the team-work, dedication, and strength our employees have put into ensuring they are doing everything possible to keep our residents healthy and safe,” she said.
“Direct or non-direct care, every individual at Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center plays an important role in fighting this battle. I couldn’t be more proud to be a CHRC employee and a Colfax Community member. Colfax Strong!” Galetka said.
