From open windows and sunroofs, people waved, held signs and blew kisses to their loved ones at Harvester Place in Burr Ridge.
They formed a line of about 50 cars, vans, motorcycles and trucks, led by two police cars, that circled the assisted living facility. The weather was warm enough for residents, with the staff’s help, to sit outside and watch the parade.
Sticking out of a Toyota decorated with signs and balloons, Brian Israel used his portable amplifier to call greetings to his mother, who has lived at Harvester Place since August 2017.
“I attend virtually every activity there to support my mom and Harvester Place and the other families,” Israel said.
The facility, which is operated by Anthem Memory Care, specializes in care for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias.
Israel said his mother’s dementia is quite advanced. When family members have cognitive impairment and little short- or long-term memories, he said, “you look for brief emotional connections.” With the parade, he was able to bring a little joy to his mother and show his support for the staff who care for her and the other residents.
“I have a lot of faith in them and a lot of appreciation and respect for the work they do. It is difficult under the best of circumstances,” Israel said.
And the coronavirus pandemic is far from the best of situations.
People who work in nursing homes and assisted are “under terrible stress,” he said as they care for elderly residents who are at great risk from COVID-19 and unable to visit with their families face to face.
“We should do whatever we can to support them,” Israel said.
Robert Conner of Westmont thinks so highly of the way the Harvester Care staff takes care of his wife, he wrote each employee’s name on a red heart made of construction paper and attached them to his car, with a large heart calling them heroes.
“I have so much appreciation for them,” Conner said. “They have done a wonderful job” making his wife Patti feel at home, he said.
Students in New Lenox’s Providence Catholic High School Piper Corps played their bagpipes for the residents and staff, choosing fun and upbeat traditional Irish songs, such as “Minstrel Boy” and “The Rakes of Mallow,” said Mike Melei, whose aunt works at Harvester Place.
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“Although (the car parade) brings joy to the residents, it’s really about the families being able to see the faces of their loved ones and celebrate,” Mike’s mother, Patty Melei, said.
Community relations director Theresa Kenaga said the car parade is one of many creative ways, such as online visits via Facetime, that Harvester Place has been using to help the residents and their families stay connected.
Harvester Place also is celebrating that as of May 21, it was coronavirus free, Kenaga said. Most of the people who were infected have recovered, she said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reports on its website Harvester Place Memory Care had 37 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths related to the virus this year.
