Last March, our lives drastically changed as we entered a pandemic lockdown. Schools moved to online learning, workers were sent home, vacations were canceled, and the world went dark.
As the rest of the country slowly began opening back up, nursing homes and long-term care facilities remained under strict lockdown requirements – until the welcome news of a vaccine. Now, as family members reunite with their loved ones and try to make up for the lost time, these long-term care facilities are working to get back to normal.
Celeste Wooten, a Hospice Aide for Intrepid USA in Virginia Beach, has seen the pandemic’s toll on her patients and their families firsthand.
Many of the memory care units she frequents were forced to shut down their Imagination Rooms. These areas are used as a playroom for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Many of these Imagination Rooms have a nursery area complete with baby dolls, diapers, and clothes. The dolls give them something to hold and care for, and they have shown to be especially useful when the patient is sundowning.
During the pandemic, facilities had to throw out the dolls and other items in these Imagination Rooms to prevent the spread of COVID. Celeste is on a mission to help fill them back up again by collecting baby dolls to donate to her local memory care facilities.
She has created an Amazon Wish List, and donations have come in from around the country. So far, she has collected 59 baby dolls and hopes to get to 100 by July 1, 2021.
If you would like to purchase a doll and donate it to the cause, please visit her Amazon Wish List at this link. You can have the doll shipped directly to the Intrepid USA Care Center in Virginia Beach at 4510 Holland Office Park Suite #503, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.
