By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
Two days a week Kentwood resident Beverly Artlip, 82, would visit the Care Resources PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly) day care program, meeting up with friends, participating in activities, and checking in with staff.
That all abruptly ended when the governor’s executive Stay Home, Stay Safe order went into effect on March 24. Artlip’s connection to the world became the television and her activities centered more on reading.
That was until the phone rang a few weeks ago and a friendly voice from Care Resources PACE asked how she was doing.
“It is very comforting to know that someone cares and that they are concerned,” Artlip said.
What started as welfare calls to check on its nearly 250 elderly program participants has become what Care Resource PACE staff refer to as “happy calls,” where staff reach out to the members simply to chat.
“You talk to them about different things,” said Sue Pence, a transportation coordinator for Care Resource PACE, who joined the team to help make the “happy calls.” “You talk to them about different hobbies, what they are doing and how things are going.”
For Pence, the calls also have provided an opportunity to connect with those in the adult daycare program, where she worked before she became a transportation coordinator.
“It is nice to be able to reconnect with people I have not talked to in awhile,” she said, adding that some of the conversations can be pretty funny.
“There was one person who had this bird and it kept pooping on everything and she was talking about making it diapers and then we started talking about if you could even make diapers for a bird,” Pence said with a laugh adding others have asked about her finding a man for them — preferably a millionaire.
Care Resources is a community-based program with the PACE program being federally and state funded. The PACE program is designed to keep residents within their community for as long as possible, helping residents with medical and emotional needs. During the Stay Home, Stay Safe order, the “happy calls” provide a way for staff to check on the overall medical and emotional needs of each of its participants.
“Many of these people don’t have family or a connection into the community so this is a way for them to feel connected and, secondly, we are family to them,” Pence said.
Pence estimates that she makes about 15 to 25 calls a week, adding that the entire staff makes about 400 to 600 calls a week. The average call is around 35 minutes. “Sometimes it is shorter because the person just wants to check in and other times it is a little longer,” Pence said, adding that some of the people she will call two to three times a week.
Artlip said she receives about four calls a week, all from different people which makes it fun.
“We talk about different things,” she said. “It is just plain nice to have somebody to talk to.”
Along with the calls, Care Resources PACE also has been providing activity packets filled with puzzles and word searches, which Artlip said have been a nice break in her routine.
And while receiving the calls and packets are nice, Artlip said she can’t wait to get back to the center to see her friends, but as a former nurse, Artlip also recognizes the need for caution as the world deals with COVID-19.
Pence agreed she too can’t wait to see all the friendly faces as well, since now through those “happy calls” they have a few stories to share and laugh about when they do get the chance to have that face-to-face meet up again.
