‘Hug Tent’ allows loved ones comfort amid Covid safety precautions
LOUISVILLE, CO (KCNC) Some Coloradans living with dementia and Alzheimer’s were allowed to hug their loved ones for the first time in almost a year thanks to Tru Hospice and Juniper Village of Louisville. Using a “hug tent,” which has plastic walls with holes for arms, visitors and residents at Juniper Village were able to embrace each other.
“That human contact is so important. It’s a stress reliever,” said Anna Hostetter, a spokesperson for Juniper Village. “They can utilize the tent to give their loved ones a hug, or hold her hand, for the first time in about a year.”
Hug tent, Stephen King, Valentine’s dining: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports, USA TODAY
Alabama
Montgomery: The state has expanded who is eligible to receive immunizations against COVID-19, but health officials caution there’s still not enough vaccine for everyone who qualifies for a shot. As of Monday, everyone 65 and older, educators, grocery store workers, some manufacturing workers, public transit workers, agriculture employees, state legislators and constitutional officers is eligible to get vaccinated. Previously only health care workers, first responders, nursing home residents, and people 75 and older were eligible. “If you are eligible for a vaccine, then we will get you one if want to take it. But it is not going to happen immediately for everyone,” Dr. Scott Harris, the state health officer, told reporters Friday. Harris said an estimated 1.5 million people would be eligible for vaccines, but the state has b
Since the pandemic hit, similar tents have popped up around the country and in places like Brazil and England, where some people call them “cuddle curtains.”
LOUISVILLE, Colo. (AP) Lynda Hartman needed a hug.
It had been at least eight months since she touched her 77-year-old husband, Len, who has dementia and has been at an assisted living center in suburban Denver for the last year.
On Wednesday, she got a small taste of what life was like before the coronavirus pandemic.
Sort of.
Thanks to a “hug tent” set up outside Juniper Village at Louisville, Hartman got to squeeze her husband albeit while wearing plastic sleeves and separated by a 4-millimeter-thick clear plastic barrier.
“I really needed it. I really needed it,” the 75-year-old said after her brief visit. “It meant a lot to me, and it’s been a long, long time.”