Long-term care facility encourages family of residents to apply for jobs

A state task force is trying to find ways to safely allow loved ones and visitors back inside long-term care facilities and nursing homes. They’ve been banned since mid-March in an effort to protect the vulnerable residents from COVID-19.

However, some family members aren’t willing to keep waiting to get inside.

Therese Ellis' father, Christian Kjaer-Olsen, just turned 90 and has vascular dementia.

“He used to work for General Electric and he was subcontracted out to NASA during the space program time, so that tells you he’s a really smart guy,” she said.

Christian has lived in the memory care neighborhood at Grand Villa of St. Petersburg for about three and a half years. Therese has visited almost daily.

“Then everything had to shut down, and it was really hard not to be able to see him,” she said. “Talking on a video conference that wasn’t a very good solution with him, he got very confused with it.”

The facility set up multiple window visiting areas to try to help loved ones connect face-to-face. The executive director even sends out a nightly email to families keeping them up in the loop about what is going on behind their closed doors.

“The pandemic affected our particular building and our programming because we put so much emphasis on socialization and so much emphasis with family members,” explained Scott Elsass, executive director of Grand Villa of St. Petersburg.

Before COVID-19, the family members of four residents were already on Grand Villa’s payroll. The facility started adding new positions and last month in his nightly email, Elsass encouraged loved ones to apply.

“I went the next day and I put my application in,” Therese said. “And then when that was done I had to do drug tests, fingerprints, background check, the whole thing, COVID test.”

Therese was hired as a part-time employee in life enrichment for the memory care program. She spends time with the residents and helps them be active with various activities.

Her first day was last Thursday and, after five-months, Therese was finally able to see her dad in-person.

“It’s given me a lot of comfort. I can see my dad, I can see a lot of these other residents,” she said.  “They’re kinda family to me as well, I really missed seeing them.”

She says the isolation has taken a toll on her father and the others in the unit. Now that she is on the inside, Therese is working as much as she can so she doesn’t miss any more time.

Grand Villa Senior Living has 18 facilities across the state and family members are encouraged to apply for a job at every location.