Easing the loneliness for people in a care center

For John Richards, it was time to get the car out.

"It’s good to have something to do that’s positive in this time," he said. "Something to help somebody else."

And… go to work.

"I’m just really glad the neighborhood stepped up, you know, that we’re helping these people," Richards smiled, glancing at his car packed full of television sets.

Richards, 48, is a drug and alcohol educator, but this is his ‘pay it forward’ gig. "Kelly, the executive director, emailed me and said ‘help,’" Richards said.

Richards is doing this because at the Villa at Bryn Mawr Care Center in Minneapolis, there’s a COVID conundrum.

"The mayor just signed a declaration or whatever, that residents had to stay in their room," he said. "And unless they buy their own TVs, they don’t have one there."

Unlike at past events, like the center’s ‘Santa for Seniors’ party, residents now are literally on lockdown.

"They’d be gathered around the TV in the communal areas," said Chris Koch, a Minneapolis independent contractor. "But now, with social distancing, they can’t gather together like that."

So Richards jumped on social media and started a crowd-funding page. The goal: 50 televisions, plus maybe some cash to buy some new ones.

"We have a NOMI ‘Santa for Seniors’ page, so I put it up there, asking for used TVs," Richards explained. "It must make you feel pretty good," a visitor told him. "Yeah, it does. It makes me think of my mom."

It turns out Richards’s mother, Mary, passed away last August at the Bryn Mawr Center, the place he’s helping.

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A widow at 46, she raised him, his two brothers and two sisters to give back.

"She always pushed that into us … how lucky we are and to give to others," Richards said. "She always had a project."

This week, he was testing every collected TV.

"I test them when I get home here, I have an antenna in the garage," Richards explained. "I hook them up to the antenna and I figure, if they work with the antenna, they’ll be fine with cable."

The care center has agreed to set up cable hook-ups for free.

But who’s going to install all those TVs?

"Paying it forward is what it’s all about," Koch said. "The plight of most of the people there is very sad. Anything I can do to make it so these people have something to do."

Koch has agreed to mount the TVs on walls for free.

It’s a way to honor his grandfather, Carl Pearson, a retired Minneapolis Police detective who died in a nursing home.

"My grandfather spent his last year in one and it was terrible," Koch recalled. "He was a prisoner in his own mind with Alzheimer’s and it was awful."

He said he’s prepared, both mentally and physically — not always an easy task.

"I was a bit nervous about going into these care centers. I mean, that’s ground zero for the COVID," Koch said. "But at the same time, it’s the risk you have to take to really help people."

The care center released a statement which says in part:

"In order to effectively maintain our infection prevention strategies, Villa centers have not had group activities or group dining since mid-March. When compounded with the restrictions on visitors, this can increase loneliness and social isolation for nursing home residents.

Villa at Bryn Mawr would like to express our gratitude to John for the television donation and Chris for installation. During this pandemic, many focus on their own needs, but John has rallied a group of supporters in the community to provide for our residents, who would otherwise be without."

Already, they’ve started delivering.

Richards said he’s reached the goal of collecting 50 TVs, half of them brand new, bought with $2,100 in cash donations.

A good moment that reminds him of his mother’s lessons and legacy.

"It’s natural," he said with a grin. "I hear her voice saying, ‘You’re darned right you’re going to do this.’"

The effort continues Monday when Koch will start wall-mounting the donated sets.

"If there’s any bright side to COVID, it’s that people are finding their own ways to help out," Koch said. "COVID is bringing out the best in people. You’ll see the worst as well, but it’s really bringing out the best in people."