Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 4-2-20

Message for COVID-19 in Salisbury

As the next few weeks unfold in our town, it seems appropriate for a brief message to help residents and guests navigate the next few weeks. These are personal thoughts only and don’t represent any official procedures — details of town business, services and permits may be found on the town website (www.salisburyct.us) as well.

A few thoughts about our local economy. This is a very challenging time for our local businesses; one retail store informed us that its temporary closing has put seven people out of work. Please make every effort to support these local businesses when they reopen. Can’t find exactly what you need, or a bit more expensive than buying it online? Let’s remember that dollars spent locally indirectly support our schools, tax base, town services and all other aspects of what makes Salisbury a great place to live. These are things that online sellers can never provide.

While we are not in the habit of shouting-out individual businesses, The White Hart inn and LaBonne’s Market have been selfless and generous in offering their kitchens, food deliveries and other help as we get through this period. Please offer your sincere thanks to the employees at our stores, our ambulance and fire volunteers, our medical workforce and countless others that we have probably left out by mistake. These people are risking infection to provide help for all of us and they deserve a big hand.

For those people who have found their way here from other places, please remember to self-quarantine for any times recommended by the CDC, NIH or the state of Connecticut.

We live in a wonderful place for outdoor recreation, including numerous hikes and waterways. At the time of this writing, there are several important updates: we may temporarily close the playground at the Grove, and the National Park Service is urging hikers to stay off of the Appalachian Trail, but fishing season has opened three weeks early.

In any outdoor recreation, please exercise caution and adhere to current CDC guidelines about social distancing. For our new residents, please note that our local emergency responders are almost 100% volunteer and our hospital may not be equipped to handle on-site visits for those who feel sick — see a doctor first or at least call before arriving at the hospital.

With a little faith, relaxation and love we will get through this chapter intact. Please stay healthy and respect others as we find new ways to go about our daily lives.

Thank you.

Curtis Rand, Chris

Williams and Don Mayland

The Salisbury Board of Selectmen

March 26, 2020

Salisbury

‘Community Angels’

When trying to get health insurance through Access Health CT (AHCT) for one of our boys, our family ran into a stone wall.  Round and round we went, tossed from one phone representative and agency to another. This was our second attempt to get our son coverage through AHCT even though his identical twin, with almost an identical medical, health insurance and work history, had qualified and was covered.

In desperation, we reached out to state Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) who introduced us to Janet Carlson Sanders. Janet runs Health Pathfinder, a savvy and smart local nonprofit in Cornwall. Janet successfully guided our son’s application through a bureaucratic quagmire and within a week he had health coverage.

We are so very grateful to these “Community Angels” for making this happen. If you or someone you know needs health insurance assistance visit the Health Pathfinder website, www.healthpathfinder.org, to learn more about their organization. Having health insurance coverage is always important but during our current coronavirus pandemic it is essential.

Good luck to everyone as we strive to keep our families, friends and community healthy.

Nancy, Jeff, Nick and Taylor Martin

Sharon

We can gather online

With everything going on in the world, everyone is rethinking many aspects of their lives as communities and global team players.  Online there is an “Urgent Call for 1 Million Meditators,” you can Google for directions to join in a group meditation.

That worldwide effort will be in sync with the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction that occurs at 10:45 p.m.  (EST) on April 4th for 20 minutes, but starting with a time to focus calmly for 10 minutes  starting at 10:35 p.m. Everyone able to share with Facebook friends help create a healing wave among humanity, particularly as thousands  may opt  to join together on the 4th of April.

Thank you to all using our innate abilities, intentions and cooperation on many fronts, with this timely critical event being one we can safely join in from our homes. Ascension Timeline/End of Coronavirus Meditation April 4th/5th is a beautiful invitation one can share online as well. The hope is to usher in a more loving aspect of the Age of Aquarius in a timely manner. More ideas and resources are shared on livfully.org.

Catherine Palmer Paton

Falls Village

Thank you to Sharon Health Care Center

I’d like to thank Sharon Health Care Center for the exceptional care they gave to my mom, Catherine Oloff. My mom suffered with Alzheimer’s disease and was under the care of Sharon Health Care Center for 13 months. She has now passed away, but her time under the watchful eyes of Sharon Health Care personnel was amazing. All the people we dealt with were outstanding.

The nursing staff and nursing aides were so compassionate and caring. They were always very knowledgeable of my mom’s condition and kept my family well informed. The administrative, dietary, rehab, social services, maintenance and all other staff were excellent as well.

Having a loved one in a nursing home can be very stressful. However, Sharon Health Care Center took all the stress away. Every day we were so thankful that Mom was there. We knew without a doubt she was getting outstanding care.

By the way, the meals were fantastic also: three really delicious meals a day.  I would occasionally eat with Mom and I was so impressed with the food quality. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful facility here in Northwest Connecticut.

For any family in need of a nursing home facility, I highly recommend Sharon Health Care Center.

Nancy Gandolfo

Lakeville