It's a difficult time for nursing homes, but one Thousand Oaks facility has managed to boost the spirits of its residents and staff all while remaining completely free of coronavirus.
"It's difficult times for all the nursing homes," Windsor Terrace administrator Jerry Catama says. But he also knows his staff is ready. "They are heroes, they do a great job taking care of our residents and I applaud them.”
They've painted reminders on the steps outside that ring extra true at this facility -- some heroes don't wear capes, they wear scrubs.
"As you are walking in, you can just try to lift your head up and be positive in spite of all the things going on,” Todd Stewart, social services director at the facility, says.
They also try to remember that when it comes to coronavirus, we’re all in this together. That’s why once a day they gather on the steps to chant, "We show up, Windsor cares, Windsor strong!”
"It just gives them a sense of buoyancy and joy to be able to come to work everyday,” Dr. Anna Meyer says.
It’s proof that coronavirus has changed everything -- except their positive attitude.
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"At the end of the day that's what we are here for, to help others to stay healthy,” Stewart says. And they have. Windsor Terrace's 90 residents and 140 staff are 100 percent COVID-19 free.
That means everything to people like Nabil Sakla, who visits his 84-year-old mother by waving and blowing kisses through her window.
“There is no infection rate here. There is none, zero which is good,” Sakla said.
Sakla says that because of the pandemic, "I cannot visit face to face, if I bring something they sanitize it... So their kindness makes everything easier. That's what it takes. We are all in this together."
