Friendship Village Senior Services COVID-19 Coronavirus Operations and Update, April 3rd, 2020
As of April 3rd, 2020, Residents and Staff of Friendship Villages thank God that both of our campuses, Chesterfield and Sunset Hills, remain free of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
Our Residents and Staff are working together to remain vigilant, practicing all of the measures that have been implemented, and looking out for each other as we do our best to fend off this invisible enemy.
Working with our in-house, CDC-trained Infection Prevention Specialist, local and State Departments of Health and the recommendations of the Centers for Disease control, Friendship Village continues to remain on top of new recommendations as well as going beyond those recommendations where our circumstances lead us to do even more to prevent contracting the virus on our campuses.
- All Residents are being well-fed inside their living units via delivery teams using all of the necessary precautions, to include an occasional, sanitary, neighborhood “ice cream truck” roaming the halls dispensing treats to residents who poke their heads out of their apartments or villas when they hear the bells coming – just to make things a bit more interesting.
- Social activities are taking place via the rising popularity of technologies such as Zoom video conferencing. Video chats are happening between residents at all levels of care and their families. Video Yahtzee is becoming very popular.
- Exercise classes are being conducted remotely via our in-house television channel and more residents are participating in their living rooms than we ever had in our fitness classrooms. Residents are trying to fight off the weight gain from the food they’re receiving.
- Video updates from the campus Executive Directors and the CEO are televised regularly to all Residents, as well as by our Infection Prevention Specialist, keeping everyone up to date on COVID-19 status and preventive measures and reminders as well as on our normal business performance.
- Video and written communication is provided to all employees regularly on preventive measures and precautions they should be taking, both BEFORE they come to the campus and while they are on campus.
- Some staff in administrative positions are working from home and are in “reserve” should sporadic needs for more manpower occur at any point in time.
- Very detailed and specific plans are ready to implement should a case of either presumptive-positive or actual positive COVID-19 test results occur, to include immediate quarantine for presumptive-positive cases and transfer to a very comfortable isolation support unit for any case that tests positive, in order to remove them from the population for everyone’s benefit, until they once again are declared COVID-19-free. Drills have been run. The teams are ready.
- Social distancing remains the order of the day. Riders on elevators are limited to meet restrictions. Hand-sanitizing stations are positioned everywhere.
- New Residents are voluntarily self-quarantining in their apartments for a minimum of 14 days, are provided a thermometer upon arrival and are reporting their temperature and any potential symptoms to our Care Navigators on a daily basis.
- We appreciate the many Residents who are voluntarily opting-out of their usual apartment cleaning frequency temporarily. By doing so, we are able to divert environmental services staff to the labor-intensive efforts of continuously sanitizing and scrubbing down high-touch areas.
- Temperature screening is available and provided to any Independent Living Resident at any time. Residents in our Village Care Centers (skilled nursing facilities) and Assisted Living, have temperatures taken approximately every 12 hours.
- Employees are repeatedly instructed and reminded to identify any potential COVID-19 symptoms at home, BEFORE coming to work, and calling their supervisors prior to leaving home if they detect a symptom. When arriving at work, symptom-free, every employee, including the CEO, is thoroughly screened with exposure questions and temperature-taking and scrubs-in with hand-sanitizer. If any doubt arises, the screener prohibits entry until the on-site employee health nurse is consulted.
- In collaboration with Mercy Clinic, FSV employees and residents can access virtual visit options. Virtual care visits are being used to provide a secure and safe way to access care while reducing exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The entire team at Friendship Villages are taking the COVID-19 threat very seriously and are taking many actions to prevent the virus from gaining access to our campuses. All while working hard to keep our Residents socially engaged, well-fed, informed, comfortable, safe, and healthy.
Our Environmental Services teams continually roam the campuses sanitizing every touchpoint. Laundry teams wash and sanitize all laundry that comes their way. Maintenance crews stand ready, with protective gear, to make any repairs that are necessary. Food service teams use all sanitary procedures and food delivery crews are masked-up but smiling underneath. Door screeners are pleasant but firm zealots in preventing risk from entering our doors. Our Infection Prevention Specialist and Employee Health Nurses are constantly making rounds and re-inspecting everything to make sure no stone goes unturned.
Will Friendship Villages remain 100% successful? We certainly pray to the Lord Jesus Christ that we will be, but we can’t guarantee that now. We do pray, when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, that we can say, with God’s help, we did it! We’re certainly working on it.