Tony Luong/Andrew Hetherington
Hillsborough County Nursing Home in Goffstown, New Hampshire, and Pebblebrook at Park Springs in Stone Mountain, Georgia
Turning a complete “lock-in” into a more sustainable community
On June 13, a team of 33 aides, administrators and other employees at the Pebblebrook long-term care facility emerged through a zippered plastic barrier to music and cheers. It marked the return to their own lives after 11 weeks of sacrifice. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, these staffers agreed to move into the care center within the sprawling Park Springs Life Plan Community in Stone Mountain, Georgia, near Atlanta.
Donna Moore, chief operating officer of Isakson Living, the company that owns Park Springs, was among those who chose to lock in. She pitched a tent in the community hall; others claimed beds in empty rooms and slept on air mattresses and in sleeping bags in offices or common areas. Nadia Williams, the health center administrator, promised one resident that she would always say good night to him. When he felt anxious, she stayed up late with him and watched a movie, tiptoeing from his room once he fell asleep.