#ARROWSTRONG | Everyday Heroes Step Up to Face COVID-19

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.

Christopher Reeve

In times of crisis, we look to the people who run into the fire as modern-day heroes. They embody the selflessness, purpose, and drive we aspire to in our own lives. As I was reflecting on the past several weeks, I was struck with an admiration for the entire team of people surrounding and supporting each other as they move minute-by-minute through more extraordinary circumstances than any of us could have dreamed of.

From communications to nursing, policy creation, websites, community operations, resident services, culinary – everyone is pulling the burden as a team, not only to keep residents safe but to go above and beyond to continue their passion for providing quality service. Through the crisis, one group of individuals is a shining beacon of hope and motivation for us all – the individuals who provide personal, 1-on-1 services to residents on a daily basis. The care partners, nurses, resident services, and service associates are an inspiration to us all.

COVID-19 has made each hour feel like a day and each day feel like a week. Changes and updates to policies are occurring sometimes every hour as we try to stay ahead of the risk to residents. At Arrow, one of our core values is “Transparency Builds Trust” – so I don’t mind telling you that I was concerned as some of the changes were beyond what I thought we would be prepared for, especially emotionally. At the beginning, as access was restricted to the communities, I expected for us to experience a massive wave of negativity.

Not only did that negativity NOT manifest, the exact OPPOSITE happened. As announcements were made and letters began to arrive to residents and families, we experienced an overwhelming outpouring of gratitude and support- for taking measured actions, for communicating, for doing what we can to care for residents. I would like to pass that gratitude on to those who deserve it most.

The teams who are there, in person, with residents every day are doing everything they can to bring joy, love, compassion, and hope to residents at this time. They are the heroes in our lives. They selflessly and faithfully show up each day to take new challenges head-on. They aren’t asking their directors about the risks to themselves – they are sharing concerns that they don’t ever want to be someone who transmits this disease to residents.

It is strange how we are all separate but experiencing this pandemic together. We are fortunate to have such an outpouring of support from residents and families as we continue to work together with patience, charity, and even some humor. Thank you to each and every employee at Arrow senior living and all senior communities. I have never been more proud to be a part of this wonderful profession.

Keep on and stay #ARROWSTRONG