Retirement community creates 'hug huts' so that seniors can hug loved ones

IT’S LITERALLY BEEN A YEAR THAT SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN HUGGED EPISCOPAL RETIREMENT SERVICES GOT THE IDEA FOR HUG HUTS AFTER RESIDENTS SHARED WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT FOR THEM IN THE PANDEMIC. I WAS TALKING TO OUR RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT WAS MOST DIFFICULT FOR THEM IN THE PANDEMIC AND STORY AFTER STORY IT RELATED TO PHYSICAL TOUCH AND THE ABILITY TO JUST WHEN DOWN HAVE A HUG OR SOMEONE TO HOLD YOUR HAND OR TOUCH YOUR ARM ALL OF THE RESIDENTS AT DUPREE HAVE TAKEN BOTH DOSES OF THE COVID-19 93 YEAR OLD RESIDENT PAT DONALDSON IS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON THE HUG HUTS AND I BROKE DOWN COMPLETELY WHEN I GAVE HER A HUG BECAUSE I FORGOT THE HUMANENESS THE HEART THE HEALTH THE BEHIND JUST A SIMPLE THING AS A HUG. I SAW SOME OF THE HUGS THIS MORNING AND MELTING IN EACH OTHER’S ARMS. IT’S JUST SO GOOD TO FEEL THAT THAT COMFORT OF SOMEBODY THAT YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT BE YOUR DAUGHTER OR YOUR SON OR YOUR GRANDCHILD. THIS IS JUST SO MEANINGFUL DOROTHY CORBETT AND HER SON GOT A CHANCE TO HUG. DOROTHY’S 92 YEAR OLD FATHER TODAY. I MEAN SOMETHING SIMPLE LIKE THIS BECOMES INNOVATIVE BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE CAN’T FIND A WAY AROUND, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE RESTRICTIONS AND THIS WAS KIND OF A NICE WAY TO DO IT. IT TAKES YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK. BUT I THINK IT WAS WORTH IT THEY’RE HOPING WHAT THEY DID HERE TODAY WILL BECOME A TEMPLATE FOR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO

Much has been lost this past year because of the pandemic. But on Friday, at one senior assisted living facility in Ohio, there was a reminder of something we might have taken for granted: the power of a hug.“It's really been a year that some of our residents haven't been hugged,” said Laura Lamb, president and CEO of Episcopal Retirement Services.ERS got the idea for "hug huts" after residents shared what has been most difficult for them in the pandemic.“l was talking to our residents about what was most difficult for them in the pandemic and story after story it related to physical touch,” Lamb said.Dupree House is one of the facilities operated by ERS. Pat Donaldson, 93, is a resident who worked on the hug huts project. All of the residents have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.“l broke down completely when I gave her a hug. I forgot the humanness, the heart, the health, the simple feeling behind a hug,” Donaldson said.All visitors had to get their temperature taken and fill out a health questionnaire. About 150 people signed up for hugs today. There are five hug huts at five different locations in the ERS retirement community.

“It's really been a year that some of our residents haven't been hugged,” said Laura Lamb, president and CEO of Episcopal Retirement Services.

ERS got the idea for "hug huts" after residents shared what has been most difficult for them in the pandemic.

“l was talking to our residents about what was most difficult for them in the pandemic and story after story it related to physical touch,” Lamb said.

Dupree House is one of the facilities operated by ERS. Pat Donaldson, 93, is a resident who worked on the hug huts project. All of the residents have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“l broke down completely when I gave her a hug. I forgot the humanness, the heart, the health, the simple feeling behind a hug,” Donaldson said.

All visitors had to get their temperature taken and fill out a health questionnaire. About 150 people signed up for hugs today.

There are five hug huts at five different locations in the ERS retirement community.

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Retirement community creates 'hug huts' so that seniors can hug loved ones

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