Update From Administrator – August 11, 2020
August 11, 2020
Our team and I hope this email finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy.
I am pleased to report that we remain COVID-free for both our staff and residents. As we continue to maintain a COVID-free status, we will hopefully be able to reduce restrictions under the guidance of the CDC and Department of Public Health.
Last week was a very busy week for us. During the storm, the facility lost power from Tuesday afternoon briefly. We lost power again on Wednesday when a car hit a utility pole across the street and power was restored on Saturday morning around 11:00am. Despite the storm, there were no interruption in the care and services that we provide to your loved one. The facility generator powers 100% of the building and worked extremely well. We were all very happy when we returned to street power. I give a lot of thanks to the Mayor’s office and Harley Graime, Director of Emergency Management who worked behind the scenes to ensure Eversource knew we were a nursing home and it was essential to get power back to ASAP.
We had 2 visits from DPH one on Friday afternoon and again on Saturday to monitor how the facility was impacted while on generator including temperatures in the center, fuel level of the generator to mention a few items. We did extremely well, no deficiencies were noted.
On Wednesday both our weekly PPE pick up and weekly DPH/epidemiology call were cancelled as they were assisting centers that we on generator and difficult traveling with all of the down limbs.
As always, we thank our team for their hard work and dedication to our residents while in our center; their chosen careers were never simple or easy to begin with, but working through a pandemic and under such troubled times as they do today, only makes their jobs even tougher. They received wonderful recognition during the pandemic and I continue to thank and appreciate them! Additional recognition is coming as we celebrate them again during our version of National Nursing Home Week from August 9-15. We are virtually traveling to Italy, China, Poland, Mexico, and USA. The residents will be having arm chair tours, tasty treats and activities from the various countries.
A few quick points on our outdoor visits:
- Must be pre-scheduled to ensure safe and healthy visits for you, the residents, and our staff. It also allows our team to ensure your loved one is available and ready for your visit to make the most of your time together.
- Face coverings must always be worn and a social distance of 6 feet between you and your loved ones for the entirety of the visit.
- Check out our website for specific guidelines and details regarding perimeter visits.
- Alternative visits (Facetime, Skype, and window visits) are still taking place. You can schedule a visit by calling 860-583-1827 or emailing us at recreation@sheridenwoodshcc.com.
Other updates from our recreation team include:
- Nursing unit have received additional tablets, which will be assigned for resident use such as virtual visits, games, etc.
- We have fresh airtime where residents can get some much-needed sunshine while supervised to ensure social distancing.
- We are also now scheduling resident outdoor social distancing activities programs, which includes entertainment.
As a reminder, our next “Town Hall” meeting is scheduled for Tuesday August 11, 2020 at 5:00pm 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.
Thank you and please stay safe and healthy!
Liz