My COVID Story – Andy A.

Adjusting to COVID-19 at Work

By Andy Adams

Is your department still open for business during COVID-19?

Yes, the Life Enrichment Department is still open. We are alive and well. No matter the circumstance, we will be with our gentlemen helping them weather this storm. When all is said and done we need them right now as much as they need us. We are a family and all need to stick together.

How has the COVID-19 spread affected your department?

COVID-19 has put a fairly major wrench in our day to day programming. For the two guys, I work with skinning was a major part of our week. We were on the slopes 4-5 days a week. When the mountains shut down we dug deep into our bag of tricks in order to make the transition as seamless as possible. With the help of the clinical team, the executives and the rest of our team here we were able to create some amazing opportunities for them. With the current shut down of the state, we spend most of our time in client households.

What services are you offering currently?

As of now, I am working on individual life skills with B. As we are at home most of the day and the cleanliness of the house is paramount we spend part of our morning working on home care. He has really taken to vacuuming the house and then moves onto mopping. B lives in a house of his own so it’s important as we move him to higher stages of independence that he knows how to care for his home. He has been very proactive in managing the trash at the house. We are also doing more culinary work. We cook meals together and again the cleaning of the kitchen afterward. B and I also have to get some exercise in each day. We have been going on runs averaging 2-4 miles a day. We both love and need it.

What projects are you working on in the midst of all this?

B had previously been involved in making the hand sanitizer for the whole Ascendigo community. He and I have been mostly working on projects at his home. We put together his new train table. On Tuesday nights we will be putting together sack meals for the homeless of Carbondale. We have been in touch with the local coordinators and will have all the food ready for a Wednesday morning pick up. B is really excited about this.

Please list at least one positive thing you can take from this experience.

As much as this all is a bummer, there are always positives coming out. B’s attitude has been great. He understands why we can’t go out and is taking steps to create activities in his house. The Ascendigo Family as a whole has grown much stronger and tighter. We are all checking in on each other. He is asking me about other coaches and how they are doing. Big time of growth for us all.

Anything else you’d like to add or let our families know during this time?

All in all, this is a rough on all of us, staff and participants alike, but we are ALL in this together, we will ALL make it through this and it will be done with Style and Grace. Ascendigo, as a whole, was way more prepared for this then we could have ever have imagined. Not so much in the supplies we had on hand, but overwhelmingly in the pure talent and dedication amongst our whole community.