This past year presented extraordinary challenges for all. But for nursing home residents and
healthcare workers, the pandemic caused unprecedented hardship. While many of our
Greenwich neighbors endured stay-at-home orders and juggled remote work and school, those at The Nathaniel Witherell were tested in unimaginable ways. In order to protect our fragile seniors from a disease that was largely unknown, The Nathaniel Witherell, like all other nursing homes in Connecticut, was required to restrict family member visits. We also had to close our doors to volunteers and community members who helped make life at the Witherell so joyful.
Then and now, as we work round the clock, following state guidelines and expertise from The
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the CT Department of Health and the CDC, our
mission is to keep our residents and staff healthy. I am truly proud of all of our healthcare
heroes for their commitment and dedication over the last year. Coming to work and knowing
that you could be putting yourself or your family at risk is not easy. But our senior residents
mean the world to us and we take our commitment to them very seriously.
We fully understand and empathize with family members who are distraught about the current limitations on visitations. These restrictions are in place across the state solely to protect the health of your loved ones. We understand the pain they have caused, and we too grieve alongside families who have suffered great loss due to this pandemic. It’s our duty, however, as a healthcare facility, to follow the state’s guidelines to prevent disease spread and loss of life. As a compassionate facility staffed by professionals who view senior care as a vocation, however, we’ve also gone to great lengths to safeguard the emotional well-being of our residents.
The Witherell has long been hailed for our person-centered, holistic approach to care. It’s this
that’s earned us a 5-star CMS rating and national recognition as a U.S. News & World Report Best Nursing Home. Beyond physical health, this includes a focus on emotional well-being. As we know how isolation can negatively impact seniors, our staff immediately created an innovative plan to help maintain critical social connections once visitation limits were imposed.
Among these efforts were leveraging technology for Zoom, Skype and Face Time calls. We also transitioned to safe in-person visits outdoors. Then, when the weather turned colder and as the pandemic dragged on, we innovated our Visitation Pods—freestanding heated trailers outside our facility for in-person visits. The Nathaniel Witherell is the only skilled nursing facility in the State to offer this option to our residents and their families.
Now that nearly all of our residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine and we’re progressing with staff vaccinations, we’re buoyed by the hope that we can soon return to life as normal. But, like every other skilled nursing facility in Connecticut, we need to adhere to the state guidelines. Throughout the pandemic, The Nathaniel Witherell has maintained constant and consistent communication with our residents and their families about visitation and socialization within the Witherell, and we’ve done so with the utmost compassion.
Rest assured that our goal is to once again open our doors to all—to family members, pet
therapy teams, school choirs, entertainers, Zumba instructors, horticulturalists, art historians,
Greenwich library volunteers—and everyone else who makes the Witherell such a special place
for our residents to call home.
In the meantime, let’s never forget the extraordinary care delivered by an amazing team here—our therapeutic recreation department, volunteer coordinator, in-house musicians, nurses, aides, food service staff, housekeeping, social workers and administration—who have gone above and beyond to make sure that no one at the Witherell is ever isolated or alone.
As we look forward to a safe return to normal, we understand and share any frustration and
grief over what this pandemic has wrought. But we know we will get through this together, and we hope for your understanding and patience as we move forward in the safest way possible towards a better future.
Be well,
John Mastronardi
Executive Director
The Nathaniel Witherell
70 Parsonage Road
Greenwich, CT
