Navigating loss
One day at a time
THE FIRST TIME Dave Armijo walked into the Taos Living Center in the autumn of 2017, he said it “felt like home.” He started his journey to becoming the administrator for the long-term care facility in his hometown of Las Vegas, New Mexico, working first as a receptionist. He moved up the ranks to managerial positions. Along the way he found his passion for an undervalued industry that takes care of people at a stage of life when they need it most. Armijo said he realized working in a nursing home, “I could make a difference every day in the lives of the residents.”
The motto for Taos Living Center is “A Community Of Care.” Armijo said “a typical day at the Living Center prior to the pandemic was full of life. We always had tons of visitors and lots of fun. We had live music for the residents and would host community events. Our big party is Thanksgiving. We would have hundreds of family members visiting.”
Fast forward to 2020, Armijo said he’ll never forget the day when he learned about the virus (COVID-19).
“My boss called me. ‘Dave what’s going on in Wuhan?’ I replied, ‘What the heck is a Wuhan?’ We started preparing at that moment. We secured additional vendors for PPE as we were projecting an interruption in supply. I also reached out to Holy Cross Hospital, and we started running through different potential scenarios and prepared for the inevitable pandemic.”
In the months following that phone call, the nursing home was under siege. The world outside the Living Center judged them not by the level of care the residents were still receiving, but by the numbers of people who tested positive for COVID-19, which fluctuated dramatically.
Work became a second home for staff. A place with an eerie quiet in the absence of the busy community with visitors, vendors, students, staff and families flooding the hallways. All community-building events were canceled and the communal dining was no more.
Armijo said these challenges “drew our staff and residents closer. We are together, literally. We implemented FaceTime calls and window visits for the residents. It has been very hard on them not being able to hug their families.” Families could not contact their loved ones, and there were questions that could not be answered. “COVID affected almost every aspect of our operation.”
Losing people who had become members of an extended family to residents and staff was devastating.
Armijo said he and his staff found the grit to continue because “quitting is not an option when you’re on the frontlines caring for the most vulnerable.”
Armijo said he is proud of his staff, “the professionals I’m proud and privileged to serve with. I witnessed my staff exhibit kindness ... the nursing assistants, dietary, therapy, nurses, maintenance and administrative staff served the residents as if they were their own families. My Resident Council President Yvonne Smith and our Director of Nursing Dionne Bilal kept me going through this pandemic. They had nothing but strong kind words throughout this. The entire management team is very supportive and knowledgeable.”
Armijo said the Taos community rallied around the Living Center and stepped forward to help them do what they had to. “A local business donated food, masks, time and support. We are blessed to be in such a thoughtful community.”
As of this writing Armijo said, “most of our staff and residents are vaccinated and we are returning to a new normal. We have resumed activities and communal dining.”
Armijo said he is a very different man today from the one who walked into the Taos Living Center four years ago. He accepted a position he was well-prepared for with practical experience. The pandemic year demanded character to meet the challenge of taking care of a vulnerable population and apprehensive staff. No one knows how they will respond until they are in the thick of such an event. It’s something that can only be found when tested under fire and much more important than textbook knowledge, or years in the field.
“It is very emotional to recap the last year. It has been the most difficult time in my career. The experiences I have lived through make me the person I am today. I would do nothing differently.” Armijo said his team and the residents are navigating the losses from the last year “one day at a time.”