Flor considers herself fortunate to work in home town
IT WENT FAST — Kathy Flor celebrated her 40th work anniversary with New Richland Care Center Nov. 3.
By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Staff Writer
Kathy Flor, activities director, celebrated 40 years of working at New Richland Care Center on Nov. 3, 2020, for which she was recognized by care center staff.
Flor was born in Sleepy Eye, Minn., and lived in Stewart, Minn. At the age of 16, she and her family moved to New Richland, where Flor graduate from high school.
Flor planned to work with the elderly after high school. “I enjoy being around the elderly,” she says. “It seems like, if I'm ever around a group of people I don't know, I tend to visit with the elderly people that are in the group.”
Flor studied to be a certified nursing assistant in Glencoe, Minn., and began working at NRCC in 1980. After seven years, she started working with the activities department. In 2003, she became the activities director.
“I really like working here,” says Flor. “I love the residents, and I'm so fortunate to be able to work right in my home town.
“I coordinate all the activities,” says Flor, who makes individualized plans by assessing each resident's interests. “If they like reading, and they need access to some books, I get them from the local library for them.
“A lot of the residents like the various games that we offer,” Flor continues. Residents enjoy special events as well, such as theme days. “The residents love it when we have theme days. It just gives them a different atmosphere and a change of pace.”
On Nov. 18, residents and staff celebrated Mickey Mouse's birthday. “We had Mickey Mouse ears for the residents and staff,” says Flor. They also recently celebrated Vikings Day, Veterans Day, and even Homemade Bread Day. “We used frozen bread dough, and we made it in the activities room.”
On election day those residents who wanted to vote filled out absentee ballots. It was a little more work for staff this year than it has been in previous years, because election judges were not permitted to enter the building. Flor and the social services director, Penni Mueller, stood in as election judges, for which they had to take election judge courses.
Thanksgiving will be a little different at the care center this year, too, because residents are not allowed to spend the day with their families, either at the care center or at relatives' homes. Which means this year all of the residents will be enjoying a special Thanksgiving meal at the care center.
On the Nov. 24, NRCC started decorating for Christmas, and those residents who were able helped. Last year, the care center began a program to allow family members to decorate a tree with their care center resident. There is the possibility that this could happen again this year if the family member coming into the building is an essential care giver.
An essential care giver must go through the NRCC infection preventionist. “And there are specific rules that they have to follow,” Flor explains. “They have to be somebody that was important and vital with [the resident's] care before they became a resident here.”
Of the Covid restrictions, Flor says, “We've really had to think out of the box. We revamped the whole activity department when Covid came into the picture.” The threat of the pandemic has had a major impact on Flor's job, but Flor credits a great staff with helping her navigate the changes. “With their assistance, we've been able to do, I feel, a good job with our new routine.”
Flor has been doing more one-on-one and small group activities with residents since spring, making sure all residents are socially distanced and are wearing masks. “You go with the flow,” says Flor, “and, as long as you have a positive attitude about it, it works.”
One of the one-on-one activities Flor has been doing is reading a daily devotional to residence who enjoy that. “We have residents that stay busy in their rooms with needlepoint type things,” says Flor, “and their families are really helpful with providing supplies for them.”
For residents who enjoy reading, but whose eyesight is no longer equal to the task, Flor arranges for them to listen to talking books and receive readers through Services for the Blind.
Flor says the Covid restrictions are hard for some of the residents, “But for the most part they are happy, and that's why we try and change things up, and have the various theme days to keep things fresh.”
In addition to that, Flor says that families are really good about keeping in contact with NRCC residents. Technology has been a big plus in that regard. Residents and families can visit via IPAD or FaceTime, for example. “And we have families that do window visits,” says Flor, “and that's all we are able to offer right now, too. Because of the numbers in the county – because of how high they are – we aren't able to have people in the facility, except for the essential care giver. They're still allowed to come in. All summer we offered outside visits. […] We had a tent, and we were able to take the residents outside. They were kept six feet apart from their family and they were able to visit. And when the visitors come, too, we check their temperature. We follow all the guidelines.”
Flor's favorite part of her job are the residents, as well as the variety that the job offers. “No day is ever the same,” she says.
When Flor is not working at the care center, or under pandemic guidelines, she enjoys spending time with her children, Marcie Flor, and Mollie and Brandon Mullenbach; and her grandchildren, Spencer, 15; Marnie 8; Libbie 6; and Mace, 2 ½.