For Mother's Day, Stitt and Care Providers urge families to contact loved ones in nursing homes

Residents and staff at a Mother's Day photo booth at Elk Crossing Nursing & Rehab in Duncan in 2019.

As Skilled Nursing Facilities Prepare Mother’s Day Celebrations, Governor Kevin Stitt Urges Families to Contact Loved Ones

OKLAHOMA CITY – Skilled nursing facilities across the state are working to bring some joy to their residents this weekend in celebration of Mother’s Day. Even as coronavirus-related restrictions to visitors continue, staff are working to put residents in touch with loved ones, plan celebrations, and treat their residents to various Mother’s Day activities.

At Beacon Ridge Senior Mental Health in Sapulpa, staff are planning a Mother’s Day Tea celebration and facilitating FaceTime visits for moms with their families. At Shawnee Care Center, resident-moms are participating in a “glamor” photo shoot with costume jewelry and feather boas and sending those pictures to family members who are unable to visit. At Bridges facilities across the state, staff are planning Mother’s Day spas and creating slideshows from pictures sent by families.  These are just a few examples of celebrations that will be occurring in skilled nursing facilities across Oklahoma.

“This has been an enormously difficult time for our residents and their families,” said Care Providers Oklahoma President and CEO Steven Buck. “A Mother’s Day without visitation from family could be a time of sadness, but our staff are working hard to make it a time of celebration and joy.”

         
In an official proclamation, Governor Kevin Stitt has named next week (May 10 – May 16) Skilled Nursing Week in Oklahoma, to "honor and respect our elders and citizens of any age with physical or intellectual disabilities who reside in skilled nursing care centers in the State of Oklahoma.” In the proclamation, the governor “urges all citizens to call a loved one, family member, or friend residing in any care setting and offer a kind word and spend time participating in various virtual activities to encourage those from all walks of life in need of our continuing love and support."

Buck thanked the governor for his support and echoed his call to contact loved ones in nursing homes. “Mother’s Day is a great time to call and tell someone in a nursing facility that you love them, but you don’t need to wait for a special occasion," said Buck. "Call them and let them know you are thinking of them. For that matter, call a skilled nursing staffer who has been on the frontlines of this fight against the coronavirus and thank them for their work and their dedication to the job. Let’s not forget the people who are paying the steepest price in this struggle against COVID-19.”