OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Spring Summer 2021

The Oregon Caregiver SPRING/SUMMER 2021 www.ohca.com 28 PROFILE RESIDENT Ron and Eunice Fenchak have spent the last four years living in The Springs Greer Gardens in Eugene. In the 33 years they have been married, they have raised a family, moved around the country, and lived through a pandemic. In this interview, they share what it is like to live in a senior housing community during a pandemic and share why they chose to get vaccinated. What has the past year been like for the both of you? Eunice Fenchak: It has really been very difficult, but it has been for everyone. We haven’t been able to visit with the family. Our children live in Colorado and Arizona with our grandchildren, and we have two great grandbabies that we haven’t been able to visit. Living here at The Springs, we live independently in a cottage, so we do have the comfort of nearby neighbors, and of course, we maintain distance and have been wearing masks for an entire year. We haven’t really felt terribly isolated, other than being separated from our family. Living here, we do have the comfort of friendships nearby. What was it like when you first heard about the COVID-19 vaccines? Ron Fenchak: We were surprised and elated reading every day about them and watching the news, so we were thinking that it would be mid-summer when we would get vaccinated. Eunice Fenchak: We were fully vacci- nated by the end of January, which is remarkably early. We are so thankful to the Springs administration for taking care of and advocating for their residents. They did a superb job. That’s wonderful to hear! What does the vaccine mean the both of you? Ron Fenchak: When we received our first vaccination, Eunice and I both came home and we came into the cottage and sat down and we said, “It feels like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders just with the first vaccine.” Eunice Fenchak: We just felt protected for the first time in many, many months. And as Ron said, that was with just the first injection. By the time we got our second injection, we were really happy and felt fully protected. We still do everything we’re required to do. We maintain distance and we wear masks as it’s mandated, so we do all of those things, but we certainly feel much more comfortable. Was there any doubt in your mind that you were going to get the vaccine? Ron Fenchak: Never, neither one of us. We were eager to get it and couldn’t wait to get it and we’re just so pleasantly surprised when we heard how early we were scheduled to get the first vaccination. Why was there less skepticism and doubt on your part when it came to getting the vaccine? Eunice Fenchak: For myself, as a child, I was growing up when polio was a very severe threat, so my mother kept us close to home. We couldn’t go into public swimming pools or play with other children other than just our close friends in the neighborhood. Fortunately, we managed to escape that and when I became a mother, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to vaccinate my children to protect them. They are all healthy and had no problems with any of the childhood diseases. So, it was never a Ron and Eunice Fenchak The Springs at Greer Gardens Ron and Eunice Fenchak have lived at The Springs at Greer Gardens for more than four years. CONTINUES »