One nursing home. One long, dark winter and a spring of hope.

For more than 20 years, I’ve worked as an administrator in long-term care facilities. I’ve faced challenges before, from ownership changes to staffing fluctuations to the need to stockpile food and medicine for the anticipated Y2K crisis.

But nothing could have prepared me for the past 12 months.

Here at Pioneer Trace Healthcare and Rehabilitation, we closed our doors to most visitors on March 10, 2020. Not everyone was happy with us. No one likes being told they can’t come visit their loved ones. I understand that.

But we had to follow the best medical advice to protect the people who live here. They trust us to protect their health. I understand the sacred trust. My mother was once a resident here.

The thing that stands out is the heroic way our staff responded.

In a long-term care facility, the staff is always busy and rarely has an idle moment — and yet they made time to try to compensate for the loss of visitors. Our staff arranged video conference calls, orchestrated window visits when the weather was nice and helped compensate for canceled activities with creative solutions. For example, bingo was replaced with “hallway bingo” – each resident at their doorway. When the “coffee and conversation” event had to be cancelled, we replaced it by delivering special treats to rooms.

I was impressed by how resolved our staff was. It’s human nature to grumble about change – I do it myself. But with so many changes, coming so close together – with new policies and procedures and protocols - there was rarely a complaint from the staff. (And keep in mind, they were dealing with change in the rest of their life as well – coping with the same pandemic stresses at home as everyone else was.)

But without exception, our staff just buckled down and got it done. They were so successful that we went nine months with only one positive COVID test. (A staff member)

But all we could ever do was reduce our risks — not eliminate them entirely. Eventually, COVID did catch up with us. So on Dec. 4, our first resident tested positive. Within a week, the case numbers had exploded.

We used two by fours and plastic to build makeshift walls to create a safe and effective COVID ward within the dining hall and other once-common areas. It might not have looked pretty, but it was medically sound practice that kept COVID from spreading further.

When staff members were asked to work in the COVID ward, they agreed without hesitation, setting aside concerns for their own health or their own families.

Make no mistake: It was grueling, heart-breaking work. We lost 12 residents in about six weeks. We currently have just about 60 residents — so you can see that was a harrowing month. Working in a facility like ours, you become familiar with death — but it never becomes commonplace. We love each of the people here.

During that dark, hard month, people in our community sent us videos of children dancing and singing in front of Christmas trees. It was a point of connection that meant a lot.

The happiest day of the past year was Jan. 13 — the day we were able to close our COVID ward. We were able to completely stop the outbreak in six weeks. Now with spring erupting around us and many of our residents and staff vaccinated, we expect brighter days ahead.

Every time I go out into the community for a cup of coffee or a sandwich, I’m touched by the people who come up to me – representing churches, choirs, residents’ families and other groups. The message has always been the same: they’re thinking of us, they’re missing us, and they’re longing to see us again.

Soon! We believe we will be seeing you all again soon!

Roy Baber is the administrator of Pioneer Trace Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Flemingburg.

This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 8:45 AM.