Center that helps low-income memory care residents in need of special help

COVID-19 has changed daily life for those living and working inside memory care centers across Minnesota.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, they may not be able to see their families during the holidays and they truly don’t understand these restrictions, according to St. Paul’s Cerenity Senior Care-Humboldt staff.

Cerenity-Humboldt launched the "Wish You Well Campaign" to try to raise $20,000 to buy special wellness kits and virtual reality programs for their memory care residents.

"It’s just a tiny bit of positivity in their lives right now when everything seems so bleak, so sad and not having that human interaction and touch that they want," Executive Director Krista Siddiqui said. "Nobody can understand how difficult it is to see what we see and to know how important what we can’t give them is."

The wellness kits provide comfort for some of what’s lacking during the pandemic including aromatherapy, healing music and comforting touch with therapy dolls, that focus on the well-being of the whole person; body, mind and spirit, staff said.

The nonprofit has provided care in St. Paul area community since the 1960s, helping many low-income residents, so they depend on community support to provide for the extras that enhance the lives of those who receive care.

"We’re just trying to do the best we can to hold it together, as we begin to see that glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic," Chief Medical Officer Dr. Neal Buddensiek said.

Cerenity-Humbolt is also fundraising for special virtual reality, including MyndVR programs, aimed at those with compromised cognition.

"They are more effective rapidly in many of our frail elders, especially those living with dementia," Dr. Buddensiek said about the special programs they are trying to fund.

The virtual reality programs the center hopes to obtain through the fundraiser could allow residents limited by COVID restrictions to experience the outside world, venture into nature, listen to a concert, play with a pet or go to a special place.

"COVID has taken away purpose for many residents, memory care or not, being able to bring them into a reality that have might remembered from their childhood," Siddiqui said. "For our memory care resident’s it’s priceless."