COVID-19 Update

A COVID-19 Vaccine: An extra shot at keeping our communities healthy

The fight to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 has become part of our daily lives. We are excited to share that our communities have all completed at least one round of COVID vaccination clinics and many have already completed their second clinic. This early access was provided because Colonial Oaks and Ashley Glen residents and staff were designated with priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine and were be amongst the first in their communities to have access as soon as it is available.

This news is both encouraging and exciting, and yet the ongoing positivity rates of reported COVID cases remind us that our ongoing precautions and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is now as important as ever. These efforts complement our ongoing testing strategies and rigorous standards.

Call your community to learn more about the next COVID clinic dates.

Our prevention efforts continue

We know you are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 and how it may impact us at Colonial Oaks Senior Living.

For those of you who are in communities or have family members in communities, we have increased our preventative measures to limit visits in our communities. While we are offering outdoor visits , we are currently only allowing indoor visitors for essential caregiver and compassionate care reasons, such as end-of-life situations. This will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

These restrictions are based on State and National Assisted Living Association recommendations as well as Company protocols.

What we are doing:

Limiting all indoor visitation except for essential healthcare providers.
Screening all staff and essential visitors upon arrival to the community.
All staff are wearing masks at all times during shifts.
Conducting temperature checks on all shifts for all residents.
Suspending indoor tours in our community and utilizing videos of spaces.
Frequent hand hygiene with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water, washing for at least 20 seconds.
Frequent daily cleaning of commonly touched environmental surfaces to decrease environmental contamination.
Standard precautions, such as wearing masks, gloves and gowns as situations warrant their use.
Modifying our traditional dining process to include socially distant dining and room service as well as individualized assistance for those who need it.
Modifying our activities program to incorporate social distancing and using a combination of technology and one-on-one activities to keep residents engaged.
Postponing non-essential resident outings and other trips until further notice.

What you can do:

Help us keep our residents safe by following the visitation guidelines directed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This is for the safety of our residents and compliance with CMS guidelines. As a further precaution, we request that residents remain in the community to prevent additional risk of exposure to COVID-19.
To help keep family and friends connected with their loved ones, in addition to phone calls which are always welcome, we are also able to offer Skype or FaceTime visits. Please contact your family member’s community to schedule a time and our team is happy to assist you.

This situation is ever-changing, and we will work diligently to keep you updated as updates occur.

For Residents

Current residents are monitored daily for signs and symptoms of illness and temperature checks are conducted on every shift.

Staff monitor residents for fever and respiratory symptoms, i.e. shortness of breath, new or change in cough and sore throat, and perform pulse oximetry for changes in oxygen saturation as needed. Staff will report any noted symptoms of resident illness to their supervisor.

Residents who are noted to have active signs of COVID-19 illness, who have traveled to restricted areas or are known to have been exposed to someone with a recent COVID-19 diagnosis will be placed on isolation precautions and referred to the local public health department and primary care provider for monitoring. We will also administer COVID-19 tests for any resident or staff member who exhibits symptoms.

Residents with COVID-19 suspected illness needing transport to an acute care facility will have emergency transport and the emergency room will be notified before transport of suspected symptoms.

Indoor visitors are not permitted, except for compassionate care situations (end of life) that are considered on a case-by-case basis. We recommend alternatives for connection and communication such as phone calls, Skype or FaceTime visits – these options can be coordinated by community staff.

For Staff

Colonial Oaks communities are currently limiting non-essential personnel, including volunteers, from entering our communities to prevent the introduction of COVID-19. Staff will be prohibited from working unless they have been screened at the beginning of each shift. This includes standard screening for presence of cough, body aches, fever of 100.4 or higher, and/or shortness of breath, new or change in cough, and sore throat.

Staff who develop symptoms of an infectious illness should notify their supervisor immediately. If a staff member is ill, they will be directed to immediately put on a face-mask and self-isolate at home.

Staff who are noted to have active signs of COVID-19, have traveled to restricted areas or are known to have been exposed to someone with a recent COVID-19 diagnosis will be referred to the local health department and may be asked to self-quarantine until cleared by the local public health department before they can return to work.

Our communities are currently keeping a record of other healthcare facilities where COVID-19 is present. If a staff member works in/has worked in another facility where there is a COVID-19 outbreak, the employee will not be allowed to work in any Colonial Oaks community.

Thank you for everyone’s help and patience as we work to protect our communities. If you have further questions, please contact your local community.