Friendship Village Senior Services’ Update and Response to COVID-19 as of Friday, June 26, 2020
Dear Friends, Residents and Families of Friendship Village:
We are enjoying a beautiful, but very warm, day at Friendship Villages on this Friday, June 26th, 2020.
To get to the main point first, God has blessed us that there are no COVID-19 positive residents at any level of care on either Village. Independent Living Residents remain free of COVID-19. Assisted Living Residents remain free of COVID-19. Skilled Nursing Residents remain free of COVID-19.
Our teams do continuously monitor every Resident and tests are ordered and quarantine precautions are implemented whenever there is a question or doubt, until COVID-19 can be ruled-out. Both skilled nursing facilities are participating in routine, periodic Resident and employee blanket testing in cooperation with the State of Missouri. Early detection is key so that actions may be taken swiftly and the staff is seasoned and conditioned to take immediate actions when a potential threat arises. Occasionally, one of our employees will exhibit a symptom or report that they may have been exposed while out in the community and our employee health nurse immediately engages to ensure the risk of bringing the coronavirus to campus is minimized.
Residents in our skilled nursing facilities are enjoying outdoor visits with Residents and families on a scheduled basis, following all appropriate protocols and guidance from the Departments of Health. Indoor visits are still prohibited. Both facilities were subjected to a no-notice State inspection of their infection control programs last week and both facilities came through the inspections with “no deficiencies noted” and we are very pleased with that result.
Assisted Living Residents continue to enjoy balcony and outdoor visits with their families, and it appears that life is going very well, under the COVID-19 circumstances. Indoor visits remain prohibited.
Independent Living Residents are now permitted to have friends and family visit inside the buildings and their apartments and Villas and there is a visible and renewed spirit all over the campuses with this restriction lifted. Of course, all visitors must adhere to the protocols we have come to expect on campus with wearing a mask, sanitizing hands, maintaining no contact as well as social distancing, following an initial screening at the entrances for temperature and an exposure risk questionnaire.
Activities are beginning to spring back to life as groups are now permitted to gather, mindful of masks and social distancing, but the energy from seeing and visiting with friends is wonderful to witness.
We are grateful that God has brought us through to this end of the “curve” and that his blessings of protection continue to be strong.
As always, we sincerely thank you for your continued prayers and support.