The Meadows has experienced 2 more deaths of Covid positive residents this week. We have also seen 3 more positive tests returned in our residents. We have some residents who were early positive tests who continue to recover, but we are hesitant to deem them recovered since the Meadows residents are our most at risk community members. We continue to employ the most stringent infection control procedures we have at our disposal. We have been blessed to get more protective equipment such as N95 masks, gowns and face shields in the past week and feel much more at ease with our inventory currently. Our staff continues to utilize PPE as effectively as possible.
We have had no positive cases in the Pines with staff or residents to date.
In the Independent Living unit, we have had 2 new residents who have been admitted to the hospital and have tested positive for Covid. In tracing contacts of these new cases, we have seen no contact with other residents in the last 20 days based on the resident’s movements. Our other positive cases continue to recover in their apartments. As always, please contact wellness with any concerns about your health.
Our Covid positive staff continues to return from self quarantine as per CDC guidelines and all staff that is still in quarantine continues to recover. There has been no significant impact on staff’s health status, such as hospitalization or death.
In discussions with our senior management including our chaplain, Rabbi Meryl and our Enhanced Living staff, we have decided to return to our past practice of posting death notices onsite. It will be done in a different fashion due to the importance of maintaining social distancing while allowing our community to share in the grief of our current crisis. The current plan is to place the notices in the Energy Club, which allows us to spread the notices out and it is a larger area. Rabbi will also add the notices onto her weekly spiritual handouts for those who cannot come out to the Energy Club.
We have also begun the arduous task to preparing for the return to the post pandemic reality. We have charged all department heads to contemplate their areas of influence and what it may look like as we start to see an eventual end to this current state, with an eye to continued safety, but a realization that the current lifestyle is not sustainable for a thriving community. Community at its root meaning connotes togetherness and we will put this meaning into effect as we emerge from this dark chapter of our lives.