As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps through nursing homes, many who live there are wondering when they'll be able to hug their loved ones again. For one elderly home in Colorado, there's a simple solution.
Known as the "hug tent," Juniper Village at Louisville has cracked the code for getting that much-needed one-on-one time with loved ones of the people who live there, the Associated Press reports.
The residents and staff of Juniper Village are now fully vaccinated, and the home has partnered with nonprofit health organization TRU Community Care to help set up the tent with construction-grade plastic.
A spokeswoman for Juniper Village at Louisville, Anna Hostetter, said, "I think it's just a huge weight off their shoulders, just being able to have that hug that they haven't had in so long."
"When we were planning and setting it up, and I saw pictures, I wasn't sure if with all the plastic and everything you could really get that human contact. But I teared up on some of them. It was really special for our families," she said.
Rick T. Wilking/Getty Images
It's a 4-millimeter-thick plastic barrier with sleeves that allows visitors to hug their family members who are residents of the home. Lynda Hartman was one such resident, embracing her husband for the first time in eight months.
"I really needed it. I really needed it," the 75-year-old said after her visit with husband Len. "It meant a lot to me, and it's been a long, long time."
Len, who has dementia, may have been confused by the set up, but it still allowed for a great moment between the couple.
"We've been trying to do it for a long time," Hartman said. "It felt good. I kept hitting his glasses when I hugged him, though. And he got cold."
The setup may not have been ideal, but Hartman is still grateful for the time she got to spend with her husband. "At least you can do something, and it's important," she shared.
Similar "hug tents" have been set up in various places all across the world - sometimes under the moniker "cuddle curtains."
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