Local nursing home fills front steps with hand-painted pumpkins
Published 12:29 pm Friday, October 23, 2020
1/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
A toad and his stool fill the side of this pumpkin.
2/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
An Ivy Hall worker remembers his son on his painted pumpkin in Hampton colors.
3/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
This scarecrow has an almost perfect portrait painted on the nearby pumpkin.
4/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Snoopy decides this is the perfect pumpkin to take a nap on.
5/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Hootie Who is that trick or treating at my door says the pumpkin owl.
6/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
This scarecrow keeps a watch over this awesome painted pumpkin.
7/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Several decorative pumpkins that were decorated by the residents and staff line the walk up to the front entrance.
8/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
One pumpkin, two pumpkin, three pumpkin, four - several pumpkins now line the steps of Ivy Hall Nursing Home leading up to Halloween night.
9/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Dumbo the Elephant flew his way to the side of this pumpkin.
10/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
The wickedly wick hand of a Halloween witch wishing passersby a Happy Halloween.
11/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
I see and therefore I believe...
12/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
The Tazmanian pumpkin's eyes look like many health care workers eyes after having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
13/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
There's nothing like a loving friend and nobody represents that better than Woodstock and Snoopy.
14/14
Swipe or click to see more
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Painted pumkins line the steps leading into Ivy Hall as Halloween is just around the corner.
Imagine sitting in a room all day long by yourself as a pandemic has overtaken the world and the only contact that you have is an occasional nurse or food worker stop by with your meal.
You haven’t seen your family – your children, your spouse, your siblings, or possibly your parents in person for a long, long time and the prognosis of seeing them remains dim into the future.
No hugs and no kisses – maybe just a Zoom face-to-face from time to time.
Now imagine that you are elderly or unable to physically take care of yourself. Maybe your mind has wavered and mentally the impact of being alone has created a feeling of giving up.
Some even would rather catch COVID-19 and face death than be alone.
Such is the condition of many patients at local nursing homes and in an attempt to improve morale, local activity directors are trying their best to do things that brings a sense of normalcy to their patients.
Tim Andrews, activities director at Ivy Hall Nursing Home, along with some of their residents and staff took time out recently to hand-paint pumpkins for the approaching Halloween season.
Typically, Ivy Hall has trick-or-treaters come in and get candy but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no trick or treating this year in order to protect the residents and due to state regulations.
Andrews and the residents and staff wanted to share their handy work on the pumpkins in this week’s Lifestyles.