Last spring our world was turned upside down, and Wake Robin’s maple sugaring operation was no exception. By mid-March 2020, residents were in the thick of boiling down gallons and gallons of sap that was collected from the property’s sugarbush. However, when the governor declared a State of Emergency and Wake Robin leadership instituted safety protocols for the campus, all activities had to cease. Residents understood the gravity of the situation, followed the state and community guidelines, and salvaged whatever maple syrup they had finished bottling.
A resident out on the trails to collect sap this March
There’s hope in the air this spring. Wake Robin remains Covid-free on campus and the majority of staff and residents are fully vaccinated. Activity groups are also prepared to operate safely. That’s because the Wake Robin Health and Resident Services department required every committee to submit a Covid-safety plan in order to resume their activities.
Getting instructions on the boiling process
The sugaring team adapted well. Sap collectors wore masks and kept a safe distance apart as they checked the 300 sap buckets in the lower and upper sugar bushes. Only a limited number of people could be present in the sugarhouse as boiling was under way. Through it all, residents were overjoyed to being back to what they love best. “Maple sugaring is truly a rite of spring at Wake Robin,” one resident said. “To get outdoors, to feel the changing of the seasons, and to taste the delicious syrup we made together, is very satisfying. We’re proud of what we do.”
The sugaring operation here gained attention beyond Wake Robin, when a local WCAX reporter came by and interviewed a couple of the maple sugaring leaders. You can watch the full segment here.
With her team, Meagan Buckley, Director of Health and Resident Services, responded swiftly when she learned Wake Robin had been granted on-site Covid-19 vaccine clinics. The first clinic took place just three days after Christmas and planning and logistics had to wrapped up in a weekend. Now that the third and final clinic concluded this February, many at Wake Robin look back at the vaccination process with astonishment and some well-deserved pride.
Great Vaccination Rates
In total, the vaccination rate reached 100% in the Linden Health Center, with all 71 residents receiving both doses of vaccination. Staff hit a 90% vaccination rate: that’s 187 employees and well above the nation-wide staff vaccination rate for nursing homes. “It’s clear that what makes a difference is the staff’s commitment to the community,” reflected Meagan Buckley on the turnout.
Partnering with CVS
Pharmacists at work
The federal government mandated on-site Covid-19 Vaccine clinics for all nursing homes throughout the country, and with Wake Robin’s Linden Health Center designated as such by the state, Wake Robin was alerted late in 2020 that the clinics would start soon. The model required partnering with a pharmacy and Wake Robin teamed up with CVS, who had six pharmacists and four pharmacist assistants available every round to administer shots and monitor the workflow. “We felt very welcomed,” one CVS team member said. In fact, there was a link with one pharmacist to the community: she used to operate a pharmacy on campus when Wake Robin had one!
The partnership worked as a real collaboration. Wake Robin staff helped CVS in streamlining consent forms, educating resident and staff about side effects, converting the old fitness studio into a vaccine location and the break room into supervision area, and requesting appropriate dose amounts for each clinic. For vaccine awareness, nurses met with Linden residents one and one and also fielded questions from their families. Nick Fredette, Wake Robin’s nurse practitioner, hosted six Zoom sessions for staff to ask questions and learn more about the process. “The goal was simple,” Nick said, “to get immunity into our community.”
“This is hopeful”
The state of Vermont has begun vaccinations for citizens over seventy. When appointments opened up, Resident Services assisted eighty Independent Living Residents in scheduling their vaccination dates. It’s been a complete team effort at Wake Robin, and the community feel has bolstered since the vaccination roll out. A Linden resident was brought to tears the day she received her first vaccination. “This is progress. This is hopeful,” she said.
Woodworking has always been a major trade and hobby at Wake Robin. Now a number of resident carpenters are using their skills for a worthy cause – building desks and giving them away free to remote learning students. Local 22/44 My Champlain Valley recently visited the workshop to check out all the buzz.
With so many things changing in our daily lives, Wake Robin Program and Events Coordinator Jena Necrason wanted to ensure this semester of Inquire empowered residents to deepen connections, have fun, and explore topics that surprise and delight them.
“This semester has been one of my favorites to put together. I had to think way outside the box, using a new way of creative thinking, and the programs that emerged have brought a new sense of fun and playfulness to Inquire.”
This winter session of Inquire differs from traditional semesters of the past. Whereas before residents needed to preregister, now residents can sign up in more of a rolling admissions fashion. It’s a way to get more residents involved, and more programs and activities can be added as opportunities arise.
As usual – and what makes Inquire so exciting at Wake Robin – topic vary widely. One unique program features a presentation by Shelburne Museum’s Chief Curator, Kory Rogers. Rogers will showcase some of the Museum’s astonishing collection in a lecture titled “Early American Circus Posters.” Another unique program, “Flip the Script,” has residents meeting weekly on Zoom to read film scripts. They are currently reading the screenplay for Sense and Sensibility.
Virtual community movie script readings have been a delight!
So many Wake Robin residents love reading and writing as a lifetime hobby. Some are even published authors. It’s no wonder then that two main courses encourage residents to express themselves through written language. A poetry workshop was so successful in the fall that it’s been brought back for another round. Local poet, author, and educator Rebecca Starks will guide Wake Robin poets in a four-week workshop, in which residents offer constructive criticism to one another and “focus on the sites of energy in the poem and its further possibilities.”
A Legacy Letter writing workshop is also being brought back by popular demand. Jay Sherwin, founder of the Life Reflections Project, offers one-of-a-kind teaching as residents think about and compose a letter that allows them to “express values and transmit blessings to future generations.”
In addition to intellectual and artistic endeavors, Wake Robin’s Winter 2021 Inquire makes it a point to promote exercise and wellness. One activity draws from Wake Robin’s 20th anniversary in 2013, when identifying markers were placed next to 20 trees on Wake Robin’s trails and main campus. However, the markers are put away for the winter, and this activity, titled “Into the Woods,” challenges residents to identify the trees themselves! The person who identifies the most trees at the end of January receives a $50 gift card to Dakin Farm!
What’s the story of your art?
Finally, one program that’s generated tremendous buzz involves a bygone tool – the disposable camera. Necrason created the “Wake Robin Photo Challenge” as an opportunity to think about photography then and now, and the current culture of being able to re-do, edit, and alter to make our photos immediately better. She is encouraging residents to “take a time machine” back to when we saw something we wanted to capture on film with no adjustments or fixes, and the idea of working from a place of in-the-moment inspiration. The photos will be curated and displayed in the Community Center Lobby. Some themes to catalyze the residents’ imaginations range from “The Rainbow in Winter” to “This is Vermont” to “I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends.”
The programs are already underway and residents are having a blast. Lifelong learning is an essential part of the culture at Wake Robin and this winter’s Inquire demonstrates how resourceful – and creative – our residents can be.
At Wake Robin, the winter holidays provide a special opportunity to transform the campus into a merry, festive environment. The Sugar House is decorated with wreathes and lights, providing a glow to staff and residents driving in and out of Wake Robin Drive during the long winter nights. The annual Christmas tree – almost reaching the ceiling – is placed at the front of the Community Center, so it’s the first thing that greets you as you arrive. Handel’s Messiah tea has been a tradition here for years; friends and neighbors gathered virtually this year to listen in awe to the classic music.
Model trains and their train setups are also a major ingredient to the festive winter atmosphere at Wake Robin. The often elaborate, vintage train sets come from resident railway buffs who make up the Trains Committee, a group devoted to railroads, model railroading, excursions on different lines, the history of Vermont railroads and elsewhere.
Holiday train set up
Wake Robin is resident-driven in name and deed, so the Train Committee began as a simple wish of a resident to organize people with a common interest in all things involving railroads. The founders of the committee presented his plan and purpose to the Wake Robin Resident Association, and the Train Group was officially incorporated in 2018.
Since then, members of the committee have enjoyed learning about and working with model trains, as well as taking some beautiful trips by rail.
One memorable journey occurred in 2019, when 20 residents traveled across to New York to board an Amtrack train which ventured south, hugging Lake Champlain and overlooking the Green Mountains, eventually offboarding Wake Robin residents at the historic Fort Ticonderoga station. One resident remembers the trip fondly, saying “I could stick my hand out and nearly touch the water!”
Many residents trace their railroad interests back to childhood, when they would play with model railroads around a Christmas tree. Some even inherited train models from their grandparents, and one appears in Wake Robin’s lounge train setup, a ninety year old train car that runs like new and even whistles!
The model train set up takes an intense amount of attention and ample time. This year, the Community Center lounge, adjacent to the library, was made available to lay out the tracks. The Train Committee uses model trains and tracks shared from fellow residents, and designs a sort of mini village to accompany the train line. “It can take a week or ten days to make sure everything aligns and runs smoothly,” one member said. In normal times without Covid restrictions, the “train room” becomes a popular hub for friends and family – especially grandchildren – to delight over the locomotives. For now, the Train Committee has coordinated visiting times for residents during the holiday season. It has been an event worth seeing for those just strolling by, and the passionate enthusiasts.
One members summed it up his love for trains in jest: I’m not going to heaven unless they have trains!”
