Every November, the New York State Veterans Home in Oxford honors its residents with a special day of activities that includes a large gathering in the auditorium, a concert and community lunch.
Veterans groups help coordinate the program, and guests spend time visiting with the residents of the Chenango County facility.
Recreation therapist Kristen Slate says –“Besides Christmas, it’s probably our biggest event of the year.”
But this Veterans Day, the 146 veterans who reside at the Chenango County facility weren’t allowed visitors or to gather together for a meal due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The aging veterans, including 18 World War II veterans, are isolated in their rooms to protect them from the virus, which is especially dangerous to the elderly.
Slate put together a Veterans Day program of prayers, poems and singalong songs to be broadcast over the Veterans’ Home closed circuit television channel.
She also organized a card drive, something she saw other nursing facilities do, and posted the request on Facebook. Featuring photos of smiling Oxford veterans. The Facebook post was shared over 2,400 times.
Soon, cards addressed to “Any Veteran,” began arriving at the facility. Slate estimates that the veterans received “at least 3,000” cards.