To protect against COVID-19, a statewide emergency order last March prohibited visitation to group homes and care facilities across Virginia. As a result, loved ones were unable to visit their family members out of concern for health regulations. They were unable to see, touch, hug, or be in the same room with their families for the better part of a year.
“I’d never been away from him for that long. Not ever. I missed him terribly,” says Mary, a CRi Family member.
Mary is mother to Ryan, an outgoing, animated, and loving individual who resides in a group home run by CRi in Loudoun County, Virginia. Ryan had been receiving support services for nearly a decade when the pandemic hit.
Before March 2020, Ryan spent the week at the Newbrook Day Program, developing and refining vocational, social, and other life skills daily. Every weekend, Ryan would spend time with his family and go out to connect to his local community. He enjoyed attending local events and meeting people.
And then the pandemic hit.
"We were always out and about. Ryan is so social - he loves to interact with people and be active. I more than missed us, having our time to connect, you know?" Mary says. "COVID definitely had an impact on us... on everyone. It was heartbreaking not to be able to hug him for so long. We're family."
The role of family members in the lives of people with developmental disabilities and mental health needs can be critical, as routine and consistency can be key factors for growth and meeting new goals. CRi does its best to provide consistency and help people connect with their loved ones, something that became increasingly important as the pandemic restrictions tightened in the spring of 2020.
Rena Alexander is the Program Manager at Brambleton, the group home Ryan resides at in Loudoun County. Rena knows very well the role that family connection plays in the lives of the people she supports.
Connection is a key in comfort and maintaining healthy habits. Its absence, paired with the other disruptions COVID has brought to individuals’ rituals and routines, can have a serious impact on the people that CRi supports. Rena says that it has been “so hard on [the individuals], it's heartbreaking”. She also noted “an uptick in behaviors” early on in the pandemic. “We knew that it was a direct result of being isolated from their families, loved ones, and communities for so long,” Rena explains.
"We knew we had to be creative and find ways for the families to continue their connection, support, and routines with the loved ones we support. We knew we had to find safe ways for people to be with their loved ones, even if it was only virtually. They needed that connection."
As with many of CRi's programs, Brambleton family members spent the pandemic going above and beyond to help provide support and normalcy as best as they could. Residents used smartphones, laptops, and tablets to video chat with their families when they were unable to get together. During the winter, when restrictions prevented indoor/face-to-face contact with loved ones, Brambleton family members purchased and donated space heaters for the garage, which allowed them to have safe, socially-distanced, in-person conversations with their families for the first time in nearly a year.
"After the heaters were purchased, it allowed us a little relief," says Mary. "It was the best feeling just to be able to see him. Even being in the same room was amazing. Seeing him for the first time, even though I couldn't yet hug him at that time, was a feeling I'll never forget."
Through a private group chat and email chain, families arranged multiple events. They organized two different holiday drive-by parades, waving from windows to say “hello” to the individuals. They also hosted weekly donations of hygiene items and cleaning supplies, and provided food for the home during special events and holiday seasons.
"This type of support is immeasurable," says Rena. "When the families are able to come together in support of the program like they did here during the pandemic, it's touching, it's inspiring. Their loved ones feel that comfort, you know?”
During the pandemic, a pipe burst at the Brambleton program, forcing residents to temporarily relocate to a hotel for a little over a week while the house underwent repairs. Family members took initiative, creating a schedule on their own time to drop off food, games, hygiene and comfort care items to the hotel for the program. They wanted the hotel to seem a bit more like home. Their generosity and quick action provided heartwarming support to their loved ones and staff, helping to offset some of the associated unbudgeted expenses during the relocation.
“We did the best we could do with what we had, and the families really stepped in during such a difficult time of transition,” says Rena. "The families are rock stars."
We couldn’t agree more.
[Story written by Allison John (2020), Edited by Sasha Samarov (2025)]
