Cottesmore of Life Care welcomes COVID-19 vaccinations

On Jan. 7, 2021, Cottesmore of Life Care in Gig Harbor, Washington, had its first COVID-19 vaccination clinic.

After such a crazy year of protocols and precautions, associates welcomed the chance to defend themselves not just from the outside but from the inside.

Pam Shelton, activity director, was the first associate to get vaccinated. With 20 years at Cottesmore, Pam has played an integral part in keeping the residents connected to their families and loved ones. She and her team have coordinated and set up countless window visits, outdoor visits, phone calls and virtual visits with iPads. They have also gotten creative with hallway activities and doing numerous individual visits for residents to help brighten their days.

Pam has also led the facility’s “Wacky Wednesday” dress-up days. The Cottesmore team has a themed dress-up day every Wednesday to bring fun and cheer during this pandemic. She has also assisted the nursing team in completing paperwork needed for COVID-19 testing, helped notify residents and families of important information or changes, and she has done even more.

When asked about the past year, Pam shared, “It’s been a challenging year, but I’ve grown a lot facing these challenges, and we have built a better team through it all.” 

Just after Pam, Tracy Monzon, dietary manager, stepped up to be vaccinated.

Tracy been at Cottesmore since 1989 in the dietary department. That’s over 35 years of continued dedication! She got her dietary managers certification in 2010 and has been the dietary manager since. She is dedicated to making sure residents get the meals they want and also the diet they need.

Tracy said her biggest concern with the last year has been the residents and staff not seeing family or doing activities they normally do. She wanted to get the vaccine for the residents, staff and her family. 

“I love what I do,” said Tracy. “I love the people I work with, and I love being able to be an important part of our residents’ lives as they stay with us.”

So far, 91 associates have been vaccinated, along with 59 residents.