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Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference

When we can’t be at home for the holidays, we can at least feel like we are.

That’s why this Christmas, one of the areas St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation is focusing on is the comfort, vitality and spirit of our elderly residents and their families.

The Views at St. Joseph’s General Hospital is a residential care facility that is home to 117 residents who can no longer live alone independently. Each resident varies in ability and background, and adds richness to the tapestry that is St. Joseph’s.

Because of these wonderful residents, The Views holds a special place in the heart of the hospital, especially around the holidays when spirits are high and merriment blooms.

Amanda Levicek is the Clinical Coordinator for Oceanview at The Views. She says Christmas is one of the most meaningful times of year at the facility, and having residents and their families feel at home is a top priority.

“As of December 1st, the air of expectancy runs rife around The Views. We reminisce about the Christmases the residents had as children and adults, and the celebrations they had with their own families,” she explains.

“There are beautiful aromas emanating from the kitchen, the tables are decorated and joyful music is playing. Families and their loved ones sit together, and there is chatter and laughter as we serve great snacks, tea and coffee.”

Amanda and the team at The Views work hard every day to make sure their residents feel at home, but that task is getting harder as the buildings at St. Joseph’s get older. “Homey” upgrades to furniture, lighting, curtains, décor and paint are greatly needed in order to increase residents’ comfort and quality of life.
The rooms needing these physical space upgrades are: the respite room, two palliative rooms and the family room.

“The furniture is getting worn and outdated, and the rooms need a fresh look,” Amanda says. “In a warm, comforting environment, a resident will relax when he/she sees an inviting space – unlike a hospital room – and the family will feel at ease leaving their loved one in our care.”

“Having a brighter space and areas where residents and families can relax will lead to a spontaneous, happy and calm environment.”

Caring with compassion and providing person-centered care has always been at the heart of the staff at The Views and St. Joseph’s Hospital. Upgrading the physical space of the respite, palliative and family rooms will offer comfortable and soothing settings for residents and families alike, while improving the dynamics between the more cognitively intact residents and those with dementia.

“We are all about person-centered care, therefore we need to do the best we can for each and every member of our Views family,” Levicek says.
These improvements matter, because everyone deserves to feel like they’re home, at Christmas and always.

St. Joseph’s will continue to provide acute care services through the transition and funding is still needed this Christmas to support the purchase of:

  • – a new Stress Test Machine for our Cardio Pulmonary Unit
  • – new medical equipment and technology

Funds raised during the holiday season will help improve the comfort and well-being of many community members, now and into the future as St. Joseph’s will continue to provide excellence in seniors’ health, including residential and hospice care.

Please consider supporting this year’s fundraising goals by donating online at http://www.cvhospitalfoundation.com/how-to-help/donate/ or in person at our office.

We wish to sincerely thank you for your thoughtfulness this holiday season. From our hearts and homes to yours, St. Joseph’s Hospital wishes you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.