Hugging Door Helps Assisted Living Residents Cope During Pandemic

Dayspring Assisted Living Home in Mansfield, Ohio, has installed a "hugging door" to help residents isolated during the pandemic safely engage with family and other visitors, reports Spectrum News 1 . Dayspring Executive Director Michelle Swank had maintenance personnel build the door, which has a flexible plastic membrane to keep visitors and residents protected as they embrace each other. According to Patty Gray, whose father is a Dayspring resident, the door has had a beneficial effect. "I'm so thankful for it because it's changed his attitude," she says. "He had gotten so down from not having any contact, so this really was a great experience for him."