Staying connected

OAK RIDGE  Fridays are known for social hours. There’s even a catchphrase to go along with the day — “Thank God it’s Friday” or “TGIF.” Even during these seemingly long days of quarantine, Sean, a resident of the Kelleher Apartments, operated by the Department for Persons with Disabilities’ (DPD), looks forward to Fridays.

For the past few weeks, DPD has been engaging its service recipients, which includes residents of its group homes and those at home with their families, to a “TGIF” social happy hour via video conferencing every Friday. Sean said, “It’s nice to connect with my friends in this way. I enjoy the meetings on the computer.”

Technology has been an essential part to keep businesses and organizations running during this time of social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. DPD, which is an agency of diocesan Catholic Charities, has been fully immersed in using this outlet to connect across its group homes. Through technology for its service recipients, the agency is hosting its pastoral care program, chair yoga and video conferencing with family and friends. The service recipients of DPD are especially vulnerable to getting severe illnesses due to the nature of their disability and for others this is compounded by their age.

Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, president of Diocesan Catholic Charities Board of Trustees, said, “The Catholic Charities Board of Trustees and I are proud of all our staff across Straight and Narrow, Catholic Family and Community Services and the Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD) who continue to answer the call of those most in need. In addition to reporting to work each day to keep individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities safe, the direct service providers from DPD have worked in a caring manner to assure that the people who live in their group homes and supervised apartments stay connected with their family and friends from across the agency.”

Pat Barrett, who is director of pastoral care for DPD, said, “When the lockdown first happened, I couldn’t imagine how to do pastoral care when we couldn’t meet together in person.”

Before the pandemic, Barrett had been practicing yoga with the residents at DPD’s day program and she had been doing a morning meditation in person with the staff. She decided to try via video conferencing to do chair yoga.

“The response was really amazing. While it is different to be doing this online, all the group homes are participating. Even the staff are getting involved because in a way they have to lead the groups,” Barrett said.

In addition to chair yoga, Barrett has hosted a morning meditation and a weekly sing-along.

“The isolation could be very difficult for everyone in this situation and for our clients this has been a tremendous option to use technology,” said Joanna Miller, executive director of DPD. “At first we weren’t sure how it would work but it has been fantastic.”

Eric, a resident at Columbus House, has been communicating with his parents, Betty and Barry, using Google Duo during this time. “Eric has been engaged and he is able to connect with his parents. It has been meaningful to them to have these chats,” Miller said.

For Eric’s mother, being able to communicate with him has brought her peace of mind. Currently, his parents are residing in their winter home in Florida and even getting back home to New Jersey has been a challenge. They intend to come back as soon as they are able to see their son when restrictions here are lifted.

“DPD has a great system to let us keep in touch with our son. We were very concerned how he would be since he likes his routine. When we chat with him, he seems happy, and he likes to see us, and that we are alive and well. He is doing fine. This organization is fabulous,” she said. “They saved our lives. We won the lottery since he’s moved in with them since they take such good care of him and even during this time, they have continued to do that.”

DPD has continued to provide support to its service recipients during this time as well as diocesan Catholic Charities’ other two agencies — Straight and Narrow and Catholic Family and Community Services.

“It’s interactive and the residents just love it. It has put a smile on their faces,” Miller said.