Q: What is being done to protect residents and staff?
A: We continue to implement rigorous virus sanitizing protocols daily. The county health department continues to direct our actions. Residents’ temperatures are taken twice daily and the team is vigilantly monitoring all signs and symptoms for everyone who lives and works at Walnut Crossing.
Q: Is Walnut Crossing Safe?
A: The COVID-19 Pandemic is a world-wide health crisis. While no place at this time is immune to the virus, we continue extraordinary precautions with the guidance of local health officials and the CDC.
Q: What are the ‘rules’ your respective communities follow to detect, contain and isolate COVID-19?
A: The health and safety of our residents and team members is our top priority and we will continue to practice all federal, and local mandated measures as well as our organizational procedures to limit exposure of COVID-19 in our communities.
Q: Who is allowed to visit your communities?
A: The community is scheduling video calls and outside visits with social distancing, wearing a mask and plexiglass for family visitors. We are still under CDC restricted visitor status and adhering to visitation guidelines established by the Ohio Assisted Living Association, Ohio Department of Health, and CDC. Visitation is limited to:
- ‘Essential Need Only’ visits. Essential need visits include support care and family visits in end-of-life situations.
- Visits must be brief.
Q: How are visitors being screened?
A: We screen everyone entering the building everyday immediately, including team members and essential care providers. Screening includes:
- Fever screening, we take temperatures of everyone, including team members
- Cough and/or shortness of breath
- Sore throat
- Any travel outside of country or state
- Identifying if they have visited another senior living community
- Questions on purpose of visit
- Once screening is complete, visitors must wash hands before visiting residents and after leaving the community
Q: What are residents doing to stay positive and connected
A: Maintaining a positive attitude is crucial. Positivity begets positivity. We encourage our team member to stay positive and imbue residents with positivity. We are also encouraging residents to:
- Continue to be social and actively engaged at safe social distances – for example hallway BINGO, hallway exercising and trivia
- Communicate with loved ones through texts, emails and social media. We’re encouraging community members to post photos on Facebook and tag everyone they want to see the photo
- We’re leveraging technology (FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, Facebook, Instagram, emails and text) to connect residents with loved ones outside the community and with each other. Examples include:
- Virtual visits
- Bible study
- Playing and listening to music performances
- Message board photos
- For residents who don’t know how to use/unable to use technologies, families can sign up for a team member to assist their loved one to use virtual visit technologies.
- We’re encouraging folks to drop off a favorite pre-packaged food item or card. These will be wiped with EPA-approved disinfectant wipes before being delivered. We’re also encouraging:
- Writing notes to each other, to family and team members
- Enlist internal and external groups/committees – church, book clubs, knitters to do a card shower for residents and team members
- Continuing Pen Pals programs – letters and notes back and forth between students and residents
- Musical performances/poetry outside resident windows
Q: Can you describe your training protocols?
A: CLC/CLS already conducts extensive yearly training for all team members in managing infections and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. These protocols are multi-disciplinary and prescriptive to prevention, containment and how to stop the spread of the disease should it occur.
All communities are following a special set of coronavirus-specific policies and procedures modeled after our very successful flu and norovirus protocols. Training and protocols include:
- Provide training for all employees on infection control standards
- Report and act quickly if any symptoms are reported in the community
- Start isolation procedures immediately if COVID-19 is suspected
- Notify State and/or Local Health Department which coordinates with CDC to transport resident or team member to hospital for testing
- Follow state report guidelines for any confirmed cases
Q: What is done if a team member or resident shows symptoms?
A: If a team member has any symptoms, they are required to stay home and report symptoms to their doctor to determine if they meet COVID-19 test standards. If a resident exhibits symptoms, we are contacting the local health department and their doctor to determine the best plan for testing.
