Administrator Becky Annis hopes the 43 staff members at Pond Home elderly residential care facility, in Wrentham, will join its 38 residents in getting vaccinated for COVID-19 on Tuesday. But she's afraid that some may balk at the vaccine.
“We've had a little bit of resistance from both residents and staff, and it’s not unreasonable to have concerns, because initially it did all seem to be going so quickly,” Annis told GBH News. “You don’t want to strong-arm people into getting the vaccine, but we want it done.”
Tuesday will be the culmination of a long effort to reassure facility residents and staff about the vaccine. In addition to hosting the first “Vaccination Day” for staff and patients Tuesday, Annis says she has been sending out emails, placing pamphlets and information packets around the facility and speaking to members of the community about the vaccine.
“We’ve been working on getting people facts and helping them get information from places other than Facebook,” Annis said. “We’ve also emphasized that this is a way to be protected — not just for our residents and the community here, but for everyone they’re involved with. This vaccine would allow us to get back to quasi-normal life again.”
Annis says she and her department heads have been working to emphasize a “positive outlook” about the vaccine while actively fighting against the spread of rumors and unverified information.
“Somebody said they heard from a friend that Europe had stopped the vaccines, and we’re like, what secret news source do you have? That’s just not true,” Annis said. “I think so many people are getting misinformation.”
Pond Home is the first of eight properties operated by the nonprofit Rogerson Communities to host a vaccination event this month, working with Walgreens staff to provide federally-funded doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with follow-up events a few weeks later for the second dose.
The 21 other properties owned by the group will host similar events throughout the following months, which Rogerson CEO Walter Ramos says will hopefully result in a fully-vaccinated community come spring.
“There's apprehension, and some of the apprehension that people have is very legitimate," Ramos told GBH News. "You know, there's a history here for some, and that history is not a pleasant one. I think, you know, we've got to get past that hurdle if we're to protect our community of elders, and that's what we're trying to do here. I know that for every person, this decision is personal. And that’s why I’m not mandating it, but I am encouraging it.”
Ramos operates a network of residential housing which includes nursing homes, long-term care facilities and independent living homes, with a population of residents ranging from 55 years old to 90 and older.
“I think the fact that the state is concentrating on [long-term care] facilities is important, I think it's the right priority,” Ramos said. “But I do think that the next priority for seniors has got to be independent living.”
Annis says a vaccinated population, even if that just means residents, could dramatically impact day-to-day life at Pond Home. “Right now, the residents have to eat six feet apart from each other and wear a mask if they leave their room,” Annis said. “The rest of us can go home at night, and unless someone in our house is quarantined, we can take our mask off when we get home.”
Pond Home is providing additional paid time off for both full-time and part-time employees as both a way to ensure that nobody goes to work with COVID-19 symptoms and to encourage vaccinations, even if side effects could keep people out of work.
“It's the right thing to do,” Annis said. “It's a huge expense to a small organization, but it's important because we don't want people to come to work despite having symptoms just because they need to get paid.”
Though Pond Home hasn’t had any serious illness due to COVID-19, Annis says this vaccination effort will play a huge role in keeping that record.
“We are so very lucky in that respect,” Annis said. “We haven’t had anyone pass away, and so many places have. It’s heartbreaking.”
