CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It's become a new normal way of communicating for The Waterford residents.
94-year-old Joyce Rix stops her wheelchair behind a glass door before dialing on her cell phone to speak to KRIS 6 Reporter Chelsea Torres.
"Whatever we can to do for our country is what we have to do for right now," she said.
Rix has lived through the Great Depression, WWII, and polio in her long life, and she said never has she lived this kind of lifestyle.
She said she's a touchy person, and this social distancing is a bit difficult for her, "I’m just a grandmother, a great grandmother, and a great great grandmother, and I miss my children."
At The Waterford, staff are doing what they can to limit the exposure of visitors. Vendors are not allowed in the building. Even mail and gifts must be dropped off outside, and staff will be the ones to grab anything. There are 50 hand sanitizing stations throughout the facility. Rix said they're even making them sit 2 per person at a table when eating. But, if there's one consistent form of precautions, it's called, "code prevention."
"The residents know what it means, and so everyone goes and wash their hands, wherever they’re at," said Sales Director Stephanie Brown, "if they’re in the middle of an activity, they all go. So every hour we do our “code prevention” just to keep safe."
For those visitors that are allowed in the building, a series of questions will be asked at the front desk. Temperature is also taken of all visitors that make it through the front doors.
Despite the precautions and safety measures to keep residents and staff healthy, Rix feels staying optimistic during this time is what will get everyone out of these trying times.
"We’ve always made it through those, and we’ll make it through this. If we just work together."