Since the beginning of 2020, we have watched as the world changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has impacted us all differently, but most especially our senior populations. We don’t need to look any further than our local news channel to see the latest scary statistics and stories about the issues our seniors face during this pandemic. If you are considering the move to a retirement community, you may be discouraged given the negative media information thrown at us every day. However, we believe that our community is one of the safest places for a senior to be!
Keeping our Residents Safe
Is moving into our community right now a good idea? YES!!
Retirement communities offer a layer of protection for seniors that significantly reduce potential exposure to COVID-19. With seniors at the heart of everything we do, we strive to ensure that all our residents are safe, healthy, engaged, and happy while also adapting to the daily updates from the CDC and our elected officials. Here are just some of the ways we have tailored our procedures to keep our residents safe:
· To ensure the safety of all our residents, only essential personnel are allowed through our doors at this time. Essential personnel include employees, approved private caregivers, home health aides, and vendors. These visitors are screened before being allowed to enter.
· Our staff is screened daily upon entering the community and are dedicated to promoting the healthy and wellbeing of all our seniors.
· We have altered our dress-code policy for those in direct contact with our residents. These include leaving a separate pair of shoes at work that are wiped-down with anti-virus wipes, leaving personal belongings in a plastic bag, and bringing in clean work clothes in a plastic bag and changed into after the employee arrives to work.
· While are our residents are unfortunately unable to dine together during this time, our culinary team continues to provide the same quality commitment to serving delicious cuisine daily. Residents can choose to pick up their meals during regular meal hours, or have meals delivered to their apartments.
· Our staff shops for our residents to pick up their necessary items, allowing them to remain safely within our community.
· Our community is cleaned and sanitized throughout the day, with stringent infection control procedures in place, to significantly reduce the spread of ANY illnesses.
· We have increased our supplies of dietary and cleaning supplies in the event of an economic shortage.
· Our independent living residents are closely monitored by staff for any signs or symptoms of illness; our assisted living residents are monitored by CMAs/Medication Aides, and have their heart rates, temperature, and O2 stats measured twice daily.
· We have had no shortage of activities! While outside entertainers and speakers have been suspended, our Activities Directors have been busy with plenty of entertainment ideas, such as our Mobile Margaritas & cocktail hours, and community-wide trivia games!
Everything we do is to one end goal: keeping our community free of COVID-19. We believe our community is one of the safest places for a senior to be due to the measures we have put in place. We offer the peace of mind that, if our residents need anything, we are just down the hallway ready to assist them. When you compare that to what seniors who may be living alone in their homes have been faced with, it is easy to see why moving into Winnwood Retirement Community it’s just safe – it’s smart!
Curious to know more? Click here to see our Regional Director of Resident Care share some more insight into how our residents are cared for by our wonderful staff.
COVID-19 Policies and Procedures
We have some exciting news to share! As of the date of this publishing, we have had no positive COVID-19 cases with our residents or staff. Our management team's quick response and early implementation of additional sanitizing policies and safety procedures worked to protect our residents against this pandemic. Resident health and safety continues to be our highest priority as we continuously monitor recommendations and adapt our policies as necessary.
