Update from Administrator – April 15, 2021
April 15, 2020
Dear Families,
We hope this email finds you healthy and as optimistic as we are about the continuing decline in COVID cases in our surrounding community. Considering these encouraging numbers, we will begin to take a slightly different approach with these weekly email updates to you, focusing more on recreation activities taking place in our center, special events, and significant changes taking place.
Vaccination Update
- Although not mandatory, we continue to encourage any employee who has not been vaccinated to obtain one. Currently, they may obtain one at a community clinic. We are also working with our state to do “catch-up” clinics to assist our team and new residents in obtaining the vaccine right here in our center.
- Regional hospitals are working on plans to offer the first dose of a COVID vaccine to their patients being discharged to nursing homes.
Visitation
- No significant changes to our center or our visitation plans, which are based on our state’s guidance from the CDC and CMS recommendations.
We need to continue with the same visitation and infection control practices put in place and enhanced throughout this pandemic. We will also continue to follow the guidance and recommendations of our public health officials (CDC, CMS, DPH) to determine how and when to adjust our policies for visitations and social activities and keep you updated.
- We always offer visitations using our technology (iPads, tablets, calls, etc.) and when we can, window visits and outside visits. If you do not have an appointment scheduled, please contact the Recreation Department to schedule an appointment for an outdoor visit, window visit or virtual visit.
- Outdoor visitation is not affected by an internal outbreak on a unit, while we await the results of the initial round of testing.
- Outdoor visitation is still the recommended form of visitation from CMS and the CDC.
- When an outbreak is detected among residents or staff, all visitations must be suspended except for compassionate care visits, until at least one round of facility-wide testing is completed.
Recreation / Activities:
- We are delighted to once again safely begin holding small, socially distanced group activities.
- Outdoor activities are always encouraged and preferred by the CDC and CMS, however indoor events are once again taking place following the outbreak guidance.
- These events will safely welcome back in our volunteers and vendors including entertainment, clergy, artists, and instructors.
- A reminder to everyone that we do have various tablet devices for your loved one to utilize to access games, various communication tools, games, news, and more. We
- have done some tutoring and training of the tablets so that residents are more comfortable with them.
Dining:
- In addition to we are once again welcoming our Residents back into a communal dining atmosphere following all guidance set forth by the CDC and CMS. This means our Dining Rooms are again open for meals, allowing for additional opportunities for socialization among our residents.
Updates:
We continue to take all necessary precautions, including wearing personal protective equipment, additional cleaning, hand washing and sanitizing, as well as and conducting regular testing of our staff and residents.
We want to provide some reminders about our visitation policy, based on requirements set by our state’s DPH and the CDC. We do apologize, but the below is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity for visits, under the strict state and federal guidelines we must adhere to.
While we know this is not the optimal way to visit your loved one, these guidelines have been put in place with your loved ones and our staff’s best interest in mind. We continue to work with the state to ensure that we are following their guidance, but not being overly restrictive in the interpretation. Our goal is to get you back to visiting with your loved one.
To clarify: a “fully vaccinated” individual is defined as one who is two weeks post receiving a complete series of their vaccination dose(s).
- Call main phone number 860 583-1827 or email us at recreation@sheridenwoodshcc.com to set up an appointment.
- Residents may have up to 2 visitors at a time, and two visits per week per resident.
- Visiting can be up to 30 minutes long.
- Please, do not bring food or beverages to the visit, as masks must always remain on.
- Come to the building with a mask on that covers your nose and mouth.
- When you arrive, please sanitize hands, fill out COVID exposure questionnaire and sign the one-time document acknowledging that you will follow the visiting guidelines.
- The receptionist will take your temperature.
All visitors and residents must wear a facemask that fully covers your nose and mouth, and it must remain in place throughout the entire visit; you must perform hand hygiene prior to approaching the visit area.
– Please maintain social distancing during the visit.
– A staff member will be on hand to answer questions, assist during the visit, and sanitize in between visits.
Miscellaneous:
- Our barber and beauty salon is open for appointments
Indoor, End Stage of Life Care Visits
Should a new case of COVID be identified in the center, all inside visits, except end stage of life, will be temporarily put on hold.
All non-essential indoor compassionate visits will be affected as well, for anyone who is not true immediate end of life, or if the resident has undergone a significant change of conditions.
Some updates
- Food can be dropped off by families for their loved one’s enjoyment and take out delivery has also been authorized. Please coordinate delivery with us.
- Each nursing unit has tablets assigned for resident use such as virtual visits, games, etc. and many of our residents are enjoying learning how to use this technology and having the world at their fingertips.
- Every weekday, I and my administrative team round on a different nursing unit and meet with our residents to let them know we’re here for them and give them an opportunity to voice any questions or concerns they may have directly to us. We also use this time during rounds to assess our residents, our environment, and ask our residents specific questions such as satisfaction with meals, preferences, activities being provided, interaction and response from staff, proper operation of all equipment in room and more.
As a reminder, our next “Town Hall” meeting is scheduled for today and Tuesday April 20, 2021 at 4:00pm and we will discuss more detailed information during this time. We encourage any residents and family members to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about the care we are offering. Our commitment is to be as transparent as possible and work to address any issues that arise.
Once again, thank you for your time and understanding.
Please stay safe and healthy!
Best,
Janet Shahen