Author: Punch Robinson

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Church Charities (LCC), and the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry, which has adapted their services to offer virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry is based in Northbrook, IL and includes 130 trained golden retrievers in 26 states. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs are typically dispatched in times of disaster to provide comfort to people who need it most.

The current stay-at-home orders in most states mean that unfortunately, the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs cannot do physical visits, but the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry continues their services through virtual visits. Many people are experiencing loneliness, isolation, and anxiety amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs are available to help around the clock. People can request appointments with the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs online, and interact with them virtually from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

LCC President / CEO Tim Hetzner says that many of the scheduled visits right now are for healthcare workers, and iPads are getting passed around emergency rooms so doctors and nurses can interact virtually with the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs. The dogs bring joy and help lower stress for healthcare workers, and Hetzner says, “It’s been rewarding because a lot of hurting people right now just need to talk and have a friendly face and a friendly canine face.”

Thank you to Lutheran Church Charities for continuing the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry and bringing joy and comfort to people across the nation during this stressful time!

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd (LHGS), which has been working hard to meet the physical and spiritual needs of its residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd is a skilled nursing facility in New Rockford, North Dakota, focusing on high quality long-term care for residents. When the COVID-19 outbreak began, LHGS quickly took the necessary precautions by limiting visitors to keep residents and staff safe from the virus. LHGS has made great efforts to keep families up to date on happenings at the facility, link them to resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and encourages families to schedule time for virtual visits with the residents.

In addition to keeping residents physically healthy, Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd is also attuned to their spiritual needs. Paula Loewen, who provides pastoral care at LHGS, holds church services in each unit on Sundays in which residents can attend physically, but remain at least six feet apart. LHGS even purchased a portable sound system so all the residents can hear these services, since they are taking place in a larger space than usual. Paula also provides one-on-one spiritual care, and LHGS recognizes how important faith is for many residents, particularly in the midst of uncertainty that COVID-19 brings.

The Activities Department has been busy with more one-on-one activities and Intercom Bingo, to name one, to help with the isolation. Dietary is providing meals in rooms as well as dining rooms to safely provide for social distancing. Nursing is on the ball keeping residents’ families as involved as possible from a distance and providing outstanding care during a time that even doctor visits can be risky. A couple of residents are busy making masks or sewing buttons onto headbands for the masks. And all departments are trying to staying tuned into the possible rise in depression in staff as well as residents.

LHGS is in a unique situation in that they also offer staff childcare in the Childhood Development Center, managed by Ruth Braaten. The staff entrust their little ones to the outstanding daycare providers. With COVID-19, new responsibilities have been added including facilitating online schooling for some 12+ children who attend daycare in several different grades and two different schools. This has helped their employees rest assured that their child’s education has some continuity and allows for less stress when they get home after a strenuous day working.

In an effort to support the community of New Rockford that has for so long supported LHGS, they are purchasing on-site lunches from local establishments. The residents are really enjoying a lunch from the places that they frequented themselves through the years! It’s all about connection…even at a distance.

Thank you to Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd for the holistic and attentive care you provide to your residents!

Today’s Front Line Hero is Wellspring Lutheran Services, which is celebrating National Nurses Week, and honoring the hard work of front line nursing home staff.

Wellspring Lutheran Services supports members of its community in Michigan from childhood through end of life, and is committed to a “whole-person approach” to that care. Wellspring’s senior services include independent living, assisted living, memory care, long-term care, and affordable housing, and they aim to share hope and demonstrate respect for senior adults in all of those services.

This week, Wellspring is celebrating National Nurses Week, and especially honoring the hard work of the front line staff in senior services. Wellspring released this video to recognize the front line workers in senior services, and open a dialogue about the treatment of nursing home workers in the media and society. In addition to the video, Wellspring is launching a social media campaign to raise awareness of this issue, using #invisibleandessential.

The video reminds viewers of the Christian call to honor the elderly, and identifies front line nursing home workers as those who are faithfully serving the elderly in society. These workers are “holding a hand late at night,” and “praying at the bedside” when families are not allowed to visit due to COVID-19, and ensuring that no one is alone during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, these front line nursing home workers have little support. Wellspring calls on policy makers to support front line heroes in nursing homes with funding and resources, and calls on society to honor and respect elders by honoring those who serve them.

Thank you to Wellspring Lutheran Services for recognizing the importance of front line nursing home workers, and for your efforts to change the narrative so those workers can receive the support they need to continue faithfully caring for the elderly in society.

Today’s Front Line Hero is Liberty Lutheran. Rooted in more than 100 years of history, Liberty is a non-profit organization with a purpose that is strongly connected to its faith-based roots. Every day, their staff faithfully accompanies individuals and families who are facing life-changing situations through an empowering approach that honors their choices and well-being.

Located in Pennsylvania, Liberty Lutheran is the parent organization for five retirement communities, as well as Lutheran Congregational Services, Lutheran Disaster Response – Eastern Pennsylvania, Lutheran Children and Family Services’ (LCFS) West Philadelphia Senior Community Center (WPSCC), a home health service called Liberty at Home, and a fitness center geared toward older adults called The Becoming Center. Liberty Lutheran’s CEO, Luanne Fisher, feels that Liberty Lutheran is “privileged to answer the call to serve others and walk with them during their life journey.”

This sentiment has been especially true over the past several weeks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff across Liberty Lutheran have been working tirelessly to ensure health, safety, and comfort of their residents, while WPSCC has worked with partners to launch a food delivery service for those in need. For its part, Lutheran Congregational Services is working with congregations and relief organizations across Eastern Pennsylvania to navigate challenges presented with the pandemic and the reopening of the state.

Thank you to Liberty Lutheran and everyone who contributes their talents to achieving Liberty’s mission to empower and care for others, especially those who are most vulnerable during these extraordinary times. Your talents, dedication, and warmth, are what is needed most.

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI), which is deeply committed to ensuring children in Iowa are safe and cared for during the COVID-19 pandemic.

People across the US continue to isolate to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but unfortunately, that isolation puts children in abusive homes at greater risk. Services that prevent abuse and neglect are incredibly important, especially as families are isolating in close quarters under added stress.

Families at risk of abuse or neglect rely on social workers, who typically provide in-home visits. LSI is finding new ways to serve these at-risk families and keep children safe, particularly through digital platforms. Social workers in LSI’s Early Childhood Services are conducting weekly video chats to provide families with tips and resources to address stressors at home to reduce potential abuse. The social workers are also connecting these families with needed resources such as employment assistance and affordable housing.

Thank you to Lutheran Services in Iowa for recognizing the continued needs of families in your community, and rising to address those needs.

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota (LSSND), and the dedicated Aging Life Care staff who are delivering meals and groceries to their neighbors in Minot, ND who are unable to shop or cook for themselves.

LSSND staff Cheryl Coyle and Amy Swenson jumped into action when they learned that many elderly Meals on Wheels volunteers needed to pause their service to protect themselves from COVID-19 exposure. The two women began delivering food to members of their community every week, stopping at apartments, houses, senior living complexes, and condos to deliver well-balanced meals. The women bring joy to clients who often do not have other visitors during the lockdown. Cheryl and Amy are careful to practice social distancing and hygiene guidelines, but the interpersonal connection has been valuable for the clients, and rewarding for Cheryl and Amy.

LSSND’s Aging Life Care program helps clients navigate the complex issues and systems around aging and changing health. The Aging Life Care staff advocate for seniors, connect them to community services, and work to ensure that no one falls through the cracks. Much of their programming includes face-to-face contact, which has been put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Cheryl and Amy and the other Aging Life Care staff stay in contact with clients through phone calls, video chats, and by sending cards. Cheryl and Amy love delivering meals to their community members because it provides them a way to continue serving seniors in person, and they value that interpersonal contact.

Thank you to Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota’s passionate staff who are going above and beyond to serve their community during the COVID-19 pandemic!

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSSMN), which is hosting a series of virtual events for the caregivers and care receivers in their Caregiver Support community.

Caregiver Support provides in-home respite by volunteer caregivers throughout Minnesota so that family caregivers can have much-needed rest. They continue to provide that support virtually and over the phone during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Caregivers Support service has long utilized technology to support family caregivers in rural communities, offering opportunities for caregivers to connect with the world outside their home, and that technology is especially important now.

Laura Rasmussen, the regional coordinator for LSS Caregiver Support and Respite services, recently viewed a video of a violin concert held outdoors at an assisted living facility. She saw the joy the concert brought to the residents, and wanted to replicate the concert virtually, so people across Minnesota could enjoy it. Laura reached out to the violinist in the video, Kelsey Joy, who gladly offered her talents to LSSMN.

LSSMN hosted the virtual violin concert on May 6^th and encouraged caregivers and care receivers in Minnesota to join via the TEAMS app. The concert was a great success, so Laura planned additional virtual events throughout the month of May, including a farm tour, piano performance, and an antique car tour. The aim is to help older adults feel connected to their community during this time of isolation, and know that they are cared for, even from afar. LSSMN is also posting shortened versions of the performances on their Facebook page so that people outside of the Caregiver Support community can enjoy them, as well.

Thank you to Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota for your creativity in providing virtual events for the Caregiver Support community!

Today’s Front Line Hero is Upbring, which is honoring their staff, whom they call “warriors,” in their valiant efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Upbring provides holistic services to children and families in Texas, and is “determined to create a world where all children are cherished.” For 135 years, Upbring has been working to break the cycle of child abuse, and supports children and families physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

COVID-19 presents immense challenges for front line workers, and Upbring recognizes that the current environment is requiring their staff to go beyond their regular job descriptions. Upbring acknowledges that staff are picking up extra shifts and putting in extra work to meet the enhanced needs of families related to the pandemic. The staff show up every single day, tucking away fear and weariness, and smiling even when life is hard. Upbring released this video to thank their staff, and to honor their hard work and commitment.

Upbring’s video refers to the staff as “warriors,” who stand strong for the people they serve and for those who serve alongside them. The video recognizes case workers, therapists, direct care staff, kitchen and maintenance, supporting staff, and others, and serves as a reminder that every single member of the Upbring staffing community is a warrior and they matter. Upbring is grateful to these staff for not giving up during COVID-19, never faltering in their shared mission of breaking the cycle of child abuse, and for making Texas better.

Thank you to Upbring and your staff for the tremendous work you continue to do to serve Texans through the pandemic.

Today’s Front Line Hero is Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, which is bringing smiles to seniors’ faces with visits from alpacas!

Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries has been committed to transforming lives in their communities for more than 150 years, and provides support to people of all faiths through compassionate services, gracious hospitality, and charitable care. In addition to Diakon’s programs serving children, youth, and families, it also serves older adults through programs such as comprehensive senior living across Pennsylvania and Maryland.

To maintain the health and safety of residents and staff in senior living facilities, Diakon has been following all federal guidelines related to COVID-19, including visitor restrictions. However, Diakon has gotten creative with ways to thank their staff for hard work, and the staff are doing their best to make the lives of the residents feel a bit more “normal.”

This week is National Nursing Home Week, so Diakon planned staff appreciation events at their nursing homes. The event at Twining Village in Holland, PA included a complimentary ice cream truck and sidewalk chalk messages from the community, thanking the staff for their work. Diakon also celebrated National Nursing Home Week by welcoming alpaca Duchess and her owner, Wendy, who visited the residents of Manatawny Manor in Pottstown, PA through the windows.

Thank you to Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries for your creative spirit, the gratitude you show to your staff, and all the ways you are working to make life as normal and joyful as possible for residents.