In her first year as a ChIME student (class of 2011), Barbara Harlow volunteered as a pastoral visitor at an assisted living and memory care residence near her home in Peterborough, NH. During her second-year internship there, she was offered a job. As the chaplain at Summerhill Assisted Living for the past nine years, Barbara provides in-house spiritual care to sixty-five residents in assisted living and memory care. In addition to individual visits with residents and providing end of life care when the time comes, she offers four spiritual/religious weekly activities, and twice a year services of remembrance that honor residents who have died in the previous six months.
In early March, when Summerhill went into lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Barbara increased her hours to fill gaps created by cancelled visitors, outings, volunteers and contractors. Suddenly, in addition to providing religious practice and spiritual care, Barbara found herself on the activities team, creating offerings that provide residents with opportunities to do things that keep them active and help them maintain their sense of connection and purpose.
A week later, the facility went into full quarantine and residents have been confined to their rooms ever since. In addition to adjusting to the expanded intention of her work, Barbara has had to figure out how to serve a community that cannot gather together in groups. To minimize risk, she can only visit one section of the facility on any given day. For community activities like current events, movement, or worship services, Barbara works with one hallway at a time and masked residents participate from the safe distance of sitting in their doorways. When the weather is good, residents and staff alike enjoy the chance to be outdoors in Summerhill’s gardens and patios.
Whether providing pastoral care or opportunities to learn, play and be together, Barbara says, “I approach all of what I do with a spiritual care perspective.” Despite the changes to their lives, Summerhill residents feel safe and grateful. And, despite the stress and anxiety that staff members are shouldering, Barbara notes, “my spirit is fed by my work with our residents.” When her own spiritual sturdiness feels fragile, she leans in, turning her heart toward the hearts of the people she serves.
During the Palm Sunday worship that Barbara led in a hallway in assisted living, she lifted up the sacrifices of quarantine, masks, separation from loved ones, and eating meals from Styrofoam containers delivered to their doors, as deeply intentional service. From the poem, “Waving the Palms” by David O. Rankin, Barbara read, “whenever we are sacrificing on behalf of what we believe to be in the service of love for all humanity, that is Palm Sunday.”
