CALDWELL, Texas — Joann Worthington always enjoys going outside for a few minutes each morning.
It's a her chance to get out of the building, feel the sunlight and breathe fresh air.
But it wasn't always possible.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her and other residents at the Copperas Hollow Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Caldwell to stay in the rooms majority of the time.
Even when she caught a mild case of COVID-19, she had to go into isolation.
"I couldn’t do anything during COVID," Worthington said.
But now, she's able to get out at the center's annual fall festival Tuesday.
Activities Director JoLynn Maples says they host the event every year to give residents like Worthington a chance to connect with the community.
"We love families to come up to visit and intermingle with each other, so they can still feel like there’s someone out there that loves them," Maples said.
The pandemic reduced social interaction from families and nursing staff and lowered activity levels at nursing homes across the U.S., which lead to declines in mental well-being.
In fact, rates of anxiety and depression increased in older adults during the pandemic.
Maples says they tried unique ways to keep residents' spirits high like having window visitations from community members and family and even playing "hallway bingo" using a speaker to call out numbers.
But it wasn't the same as gathering in-person.
Maple saw some of those mental effects herself.
"It seemed like they were down during that time, but they came back real quick," Maples said.
She credits festivals like this.
The center invited the community, hospice groups like Remarkable Hospice and Amedisys Hospice and even local kids from the First Baptist School to attend.
The center offered games like darts and pick-up-ducks and provided barbecue, a bouncy house and a chance to reconnect with family.
There was even a special performance from an Elvis impersonator.
Worthington enjoyed every moment.
"The association of all the people out here, it’s just great, and seeing all the kids have fun on the bouncy house and everything. It makes you feel good," she said.
And so did Gim Jones, another resident, who has been in the facility for about a year.
"I always feel a little bit better with it than I do without it. I wouldn’t want to be any place else," Jones said.
CEO and Owner of the center Greg Ticknor says he loves seeing residents get outside and wants even more community members to come out to events this fall and the next festival in the spring.
"It’s beautiful to see the residents and most of them have ear to ear smiles today and it warms my heart," Ticknor said.