COVID-19 restrictions, while necessary, have come with the unfortunate side-effect of increased feelings of isolation as people have had to avoid family and friends.
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For those living in age cared facilities, visitation has decreased, so staff have have had to step up to ensure residents don't become completely socially isolated.
At Opal Bathurst, the environment is very different now than it was a few months ago.
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A spokesperson for the facility said visitors were being screened for COVID-19 as early as late January.
"In late March, as new cases in Australia rose to around 200 per day, we took the precaution of restricting access to essential visitors only, that is compassionate visits for those nearing end of life or with very particular individual circumstances," she said.
"Reducing the number of people coming into our care home has been critical to protecting against the spread of COVID-19, particularly at that time given the escalating cases in Australia and the fact that COVID-19 has the gravest impact on elderly people.
"We also strengthened our active screening process by including temperature testing and these measures have been crucial to keeping our residents, and our team who care for them, safe."
To ensure the protection of residents, Opal is currently following the Residential Care Visitor Access Code, which limits visitation to two visitors per resident for a total of two hours twice a week.
All visits must be booked in advance through reception and visitors will need to comply with the active screening measures, which includes temperature checking, questions regarding any respiratory symptoms, and the provision of evidence of a current flu vaccination.
To help keep residents in touch with their loved ones, Opal staff have been helping them use technology.
"We increased our existing set of iPads in the home and trained our team to use Zoom and other applications, so that residents and families who wanted to use these technologies to connect with loved ones can do so at their convenience," the spokesperson said.
Opal has also introduced the 'Window of Love' to help families connect with their loved ones.
The spokesperson said the window visits are really popular and around 150 have already been conducted over a five-week period.
"One of our residents, Bob Jennings, met with his daughter, Anne Jackson through our 'Window of Love'," she said.
"Knowing that Bob loves the autumn colours in and around Bathurst, Anne showed Bob a series of photos she had taken and described each one to him during their window visit. Bob loved hearing Anne's voice and was still smiling long after she had gone home."
Opal has also set up a letterbox at the front entrance so community members can leave messages for residents, and community groups are certainly embracing the opportunity to spread joy.
"Children at Bathurst Primary School sent Easter cards to every resident, and we exchanged cards and Easter eggs over the fence with our lovely next door neighbours at Milestones Early Learning," the spokesperson.
Residents are still able to spend time together inside Opal doing activities and eating meals, but changes have been made so that these things are done in small groups and with appropriate distancing.
