Retirement communities have had to immediately change how we safely deal with keeping the virus out of our buildings.
At the beginning of the outbreak, we started by having any visitors check in with the receptionist, fill out a form that says you do not have any symptoms and then having your temperature checked. As things have progressed, we are now only allowing doctors, essential nurses and staff in the building. also, non-essential personnel are now working from home to keep our residents safe.
The hardest part about the virus is that residents have to practice social distancing, which can be challenging as some residents have dementia and do not fully under- formation at 2020census.gov. stand the seriousness of the situation. We do our best to explain what is going on and help direct them to keep their distance from other residents.
As things have become more serious, residents can no longer leave the building, see their family members or attend activities in the community. This has been very difficult for them because they cannot attend exercise class or lectures and now feel somewhat isolated. Our staff has been great in encouraging them to read, do puzzles, listen to music and just stay active.
On the business side, retirement communities can no longer accept new residents or even residents who are in rehab. Families who have lost their loved one have to wait to remove their belongings, not to mention not being able to have a proper funeral.
We are entering new territory with COVID-19 and have had to put new temporary restrictions in place. It has also prepared communities for any serious health concerns that may come up in the future. We are looking forward to getting back to our normal routines and activities and in the meantime, we are doing our best to keep our residents safe and engaged.
~ By Diane Martini, Director of Marketing Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus 303-756-9489