COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Response

Message to ActivCare Families – 5-15-20

Dear ActivCare Families,

In our continuing effort to keep families apprised of our response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we offer this update. We continue to follow the CDC guidelines, State and County Emergency Orders to protect residents.

We have been asked when families may resume in-person visits. The restriction of visitors to assisted living communities is mandated by the Governor as well as local County Public Health Departments. In compliance with their directives, we are not permitted to allow family members to visit the communities at this time, except for end-of-life situations. We understand the frustration of not being allowed to spend time and visit your loved ones in person and we empathize with you. As soon as we have more information on visitation changes, we will share those details with you. Meanwhile, we are working on other alternatives for greeting your loved ones and will provide an update when plans are finalized.

Thank you to all those who sent Mother’s Day greetings and GrandGram messages. The ladies at the communities enjoyed the phone calls, video chats, cards, and fresh flower arrangements recognizing them on their special day.

Keeping our communities safe for residents and team members alike is paramount to our operations.

We have recently completed the second round of professionally administered sanitation and disinfection of the Great Rooms and common area touchpoints. To augment these deep cleaning efforts, we are disinfecting hard surfaces and touchpoints daily.

To serve those in need of memory care, we are moving toward a thoughtful and gradual phased plan to admit new residents to ActivCare communities while protecting the current residents and team members. Phase I of the new admission plan will adopt these safeguards:

Touring the communities will be done virtually and admissions paperwork with be completed remotely. During this period, we are not permitting prospective families to enter the community.
To lower the risk of infection, we will be prioritizing residents who are coming from home and environments that do not have confirmed COVID-19 cases. No new residents from skilled nursing communities, senior living or board and care homes will be accepted during Phase I.
New residents will be tested for COVID-19 (coronavirus) just prior to admission. Only upon receiving a confirmation of a Negative test result will we move forward with admission.
We will quarantine and monitor new residents away from our resident population. This separation will allow us to monitor new residents for symptoms during each shift.
At the conclusion of the quarantine period, new residents will be tested again for COVID-19 and only upon receiving a Negative test result will they be introduced to the resident population.
No more than one admission will be permitted within a 72-hour period, no more than two in any week.

While we cannot guarantee that COVID-19 will not enter the community, we will be following the above guidelines to lessen the risk. Our approach to welcome new residents is designed to be methodical and evaluated at every stage. All ActivCare personnel and essential medical visitors will continue to be monitored for symptoms, wash their hands regularly, and wear masks while in the community. Those caring for residents in quarantine will don additional PPE to protect themselves and the residents.

We appreciate your continued support and cooperation as we move forward together.

Sincerely,

Todd A. Shetter
Chief Operating Officer/Partner
ActivCare Living

Message to ActivCare Families – 5-1-20

Dear ActivCare Families,

To keep you apprised of our status and focus on resident care, we are providing this bi-weekly update. After weeks of stay-at-home restrictions during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, it appears that there is cautious optimism for a future reopening of our counties, states, and nation. Currently, we are still under the state’s stay home order and continue to abide by mandates to ensure that our residents are safe.

Understanding that the threat has not been eliminated, state and local governments have proposed gradual phased reopening programs to measure effects and monitor the spread of COVID-19. While this advanced planning is encouraging news, we do want to advise families that, according to state guidelines, allowing family visits to senior care communities has not been identified within the first phase of reopening plans.

Senior living communities are home to a vulnerable population, and it is our duty to care for and protect them. We are thankful that all residents and ActivCare team members are remaining healthy so far and we credit our diligent efforts to provide safeguards, monitor symptoms, and remain diligent in cleaning protocols. It is with that same cautious approach that we will be reviewing governmental guidelines and planning for a time when families can unite safely in person at our communities.

On May 10, we will celebrate Mother’s Day at our communities and are aware that it is difficult not to share your greetings in person. We encourage you to contact the community to schedule a time for a video or telephone call to visit with your loved one on Sunday as it will be a popular day. Our GrandGrams for that day will be designed with a Mother’s Day motif to enhance your message. As a special tribute on Mother’s Day, we have arranged for each lady to receive a special arrangement of fresh flowers.

During the week of May 11, we have scheduled another round of specialized disinfection of each of the ActivCare communities. This cleaning is being performed by a professional janitorial company on the night shift and is in addition to our regular schedule of daily cleaning and disinfection.

To help serve other families in need of memory care, we will begin accepting new residents to the community beginning May 15. Although other communities have continued to accept new residents, we made the decision to suspend new admissions until a time that it was prudent and safe. The efforts that we have taken to keep our residents and team members safe have been working. Building on our experience, we have developed protocols and procedures to assess new residents before welcoming them to our communities.

As we navigate this coronavirus pandemic, we appreciate your continued support and cooperation. Thank you for encouraging our community teams who have galvanized their commitment to your loved one. Together we will move forward.

Sincerely,

Todd A. Shetter
Chief Operating Officer/Partner
ActivCare Living, Inc.

Message to ActivCare Families – 4-14-20

We are providing an update to the families and responsible parties of the residents at ActivCare communities regarding our continued commitment to stop the spread of the pervasive COVID-19 (coronavirus). Although there have been positive reports of the “flattening the curve” of new cases reported throughout the state, we remain steadfast in our efforts to keep our communities safe. Outlined below are a few of the increased efforts that we are taking on behalf of our residents and staff.

Beginning this week, each ActivCare community will be serviced by a professional janitorial company to sanitize and disinfect the Great Room areas as well as all common areas that have hard services or contact touchpoints. The cleaning will be administered on the night shift by a technician in full personal protective equipment (PPE). This additional sanitation process will be done periodically as a supplement to the disinfection routines that take place multiple times each day in every community.
The caregiving and nursing staff members are continuing to closely monitor all residents for changes of condition that present as potential signs and symptoms of COVID-19—elevated temperature, shortness of breath, chronic coughing, lethargy, diarrhea, etc. Any changes of condition or symptoms characteristic of COVID-19 are reported to the primary care physician and/or public health as warranted.
In the unlikely event of a positive COVID-19 case, we are prepared to respond. Each ActivCare community has implemented plans and protocols for caring for a resident suspected of COVID-19 or confirmed with a positive case. Those plans include the designation of an Isolation Zone, rooms that can be used to isolate and care for residents with the virus. Procedures, equipment and supplies have been obtained and staff instructed on the proper care of residents and the safety protocols for staff serving these residents requiring isolation.
A communication plan has been created and will be implemented to communicate to both families/responsible parties and staff if there is a positive COVID-19 case of either a resident or staff member at an ActivCare community. Families will receive an email notification along with the detailed plan for the delivery of care, services, and wellness monitoring for all residents. Privacy and confidentiality laws protect both residents and staff members who may become diagnosed with COVID-19, so understand that those individual details will not be provided.

Our residents’ and team members’ health and safety have been the priority during this COVID-19 outbreak. To reduce risk factors and provide the safest possible environment, we have implemented the following:

To protect our existing residents, on March 30 we suspended all new resident admissions to our communities. While a difficult business decision, we determined that this course of action was the most prudent and responsible to prevent the introduction or spread of the virus.
On April 1, we instituted a practice for all team members to wear surgical-type face masks while working in the community.
Each of our communities has completed and passed a virtual inspection by the State of California Community Care Licensing division. The focus was to demonstrate and discuss our plans and programs to stop the spread of COVID-19, share policies for monitoring resident health, and report PPE inventories.
Our teams continue to follow safety practices. We maintain a regular schedule of cleaning of hard surfaces, tables, and touchpoints with hospital-grade disinfectants during each shift. In addition, the staff has been diligent about hand washing, monitoring their health, and using hand sanitizer regularly throughout their shifts. We continue a rigorous screening process of all staff members and medical visitors daily including temperature checks prior to entering the resident areas.

It is understandably difficult for families to stay away from cherished loved ones during this extended health crisis, especially during holidays. Your cooperation with the efforts to keep your loved ones safe is appreciated. GrandGrams, phone calls, video chats, and cards and letters are great alternatives for keeping in contact. Please call the communities to coordinate and continue with these alternative visits.

Lastly, we would like to publicly and emphatically acknowledge all of the community team members that have loyally and compassionately continued to serve the residents. Every day, these professionals leave their own families, make alternative child-care arrangements, and depart from their homes to come to work in the face of an unprecedented pandemic. They are senior care heroes with dedication and commitment who faithfully serve those who need special attention and care. Their reliability has provided a constant for your loved one and their reassurance has provided calm. We are truly grateful and proud of all of the ActivCare team members.

We also thank our resident families for the continued support. Together we are stronger, and together we will get through this.

Sincerely,

Todd A. Shetter
Chief Operating Officer/Partner
ActivCare Living, Inc.

Message to ActivCare Families – 4-3-20

ActivCare is committed to the continuing effort to protect the residents and the crucial team members who have bravely remained dedicated throughout this pandemic. As we continue to monitor and implement best practices from Federal, State and Local health agencies, we also recognize that even with all the protocols and safeguards in place, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) is proving to be very pervasive and difficult to eliminate. ActivCare communities have readied safety protocols and quarantine plans should there be a case at an ActivCare community.

Effective April 1, 2020, we began the process of providing surgical type masks to all employees along with the training for proper fit and use. All team members will wear the masks while working in the community. Although the CDC has not mandated this practice, we believe this preventative measure as well as the suspension of new resident admissions will further serve to reduce risk factors.

As the spread of the COVID-19 continues throughout the world, we understand that there is a scarcity of personal protective equipment (PPE). New protocols have been adopted and all staff have been trained to carefully use the limited resource of masks available. While we have adequate inventories at our communities today, the duration of the coronavirus is not certain, so we must prepare for the future.

Many of you have asked if there is anything that you can do to help. The news reports of PPE shortages are accurate and true. Even with our regular medical supply providers and an early start on ordering and creating back stock, we have an inadequate supply for a sustained period of use. We are reaching out to family members who may have relationships with non-essential services and businesses that use face masks to see if we can secure more inventory. Nail salons, dentist offices, hair salons and veterinarian offices that may not be open due to the pandemic could have available, non-committed supplies. If you successfully obtain surgical/prep masks or you have located a resource for us, please reach out and let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

We encourage you to continue to utilize the alternative visiting methods and channels we have established over the last few weeks to stay in touch with your loved ones. There have been some fantastic photos, Grand Grams, and personal notes that have been delivered directly into the hands of residents this week and they were thrilled.

We thank you for entrusting us with the care for your loved one. We remain committed to keeping the residents comfortable and engaged in a safe environment. Together we will get through this crisis.

Sincerely,

Todd A. Shetter
Chief Operating Officer/Partner
ActivCare Living, Inc.

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/30/20

Due to the continued growth and increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the surrounding areas near our communities, local and state regulations have increased restrictions on visitations and admissions/readmissions to the communities. To protect residents and team members, the most prudent and responsible action is to implement these new policies.

Visitors – The State of California, the County of San Diego, and other counties are now restricting family visitation to only those residents who are considered in the ‘End of Life” stage. All essential visitors will be required to wear face masks while in the communities.

Returning Residents – Residents who have been discharged to hospitals and will be returning to the community will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and will be on isolation protocol within the community for 14 days upon their return.

New Move-ins – We have suspended our new resident move-ins to each community until further notice.

We understand the challenges and impact of isolating residents from family members. It is important to keep open lines of communication between family members and loved ones in a safe and responsible way. As alternatives to in-person visits, you are invited to keep in contact with loved ones using the following:

GrandGrams: A new program is being introduced for families to send messages to residents at the communities through our website. You can use this link to gain access to the GrandGram Complete the form—you can even include a photo—and your message will go to the community to be printed and delivered to the resident like a telegram.
Video Chat: Please contact the community’s marketing director to schedule an online video chat with a resident.
Cards and Letters: The US Mail service is a great way to deliver a heartfelt message to residents. These notes will be posted in the residents’ rooms.
Phone Calls: A phone conversation can be reassuring and familiar for residents. Contact the community’s marketing director to schedule.

We are monitoring and reacting to new state and county guidelines daily in this ever-changing situation. As new information becomes available, we will continue to keep you informed.

Sincerely,

Todd Shetter
Chief Operating Officer/Partner
ActivCare Living, Inc.

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/23/20

The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak is having a dramatic impact on our world and our lives. A lot has happened in a week and we wanted to bring you up to date on how ActivCare is reacting to increased directives by the federal and state governments.

In accordance with new guidelines from the Governor, visitors to the community are still limited to essential medical and health care personnel. Only family members of those who are receiving end-of-life care are permitted to visit. These visits are generally limited to one hour and are restricted to a designated area in the community. Each visitor, in addition to all of our staff members, is asked screening questions, has a temperature check, and washes hands prior to entering the residential areas.

We understand that this is a difficult restriction and we appreciate your support. While a visit in person may be delayed, we invite families who wish to video chat or visit by phone with a resident to contact the community to schedule a call.

Families are encouraged to share a message via the U.S. mail. Cards, notes, letters or an illustration from a grandchild will be shared with residents and placed in their room as a continuous reminder of you. These tidings can go a long way to improve the spirit of the residents. Be sure to include the resident’s full name on the envelope.

We wish to thank our diligent team members for their unwavering commitment to compassionate care. These dedicated women and men, with families of their own, are essential to meeting the needs of your loved one. They continue to arrive daily and deliver loving care to residents.

We have created a web page for families during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. This page will provide updates from ActivCare and information for families. You can bookmark this page: https://activcareliving.com/covid-19-coronavirus-response/

Should you have questions or need additional information, please reach out to the executive director at your community. Together, we will get through this outbreak.

Todd A. Shetter
Chief Operating Officer/Partner
ActivCare Living, Inc.

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/16/20

Since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has now been declared a National Emergency, we wanted to let you know the steps that have been taken to protect the safety of your loved one here at ActivCare:

All medical support personnel and contractors for essential services entering the building will receive the same COVID-19 (coronavirus) screening questions and body temperature checks, utilizing our Accushield kiosks at the front reception area, prior to entering the community.
Before entering the community, all visitors must comply with our hand washing procedures. Handwashing education and awareness will continue to be communicated and stressed to all team members, visiting medical personnel, and family members while in the community.
Every ActivCare community has instituted body temperature checks, hand washing, and COVID-19 (coronavirus) screening questions for every ActivCare team member prior to each shift and before entering the resident areas.
Family member visits are now restricted to allow only visits to residents on Hospice or those in end of life care in the resident’s room. One hour per visit during the modified visiting hours for those approved visitors. Ask the community for the updated hours.
The frequency and scope of cleaning with hospital-grade disinfectants has been expanded to all tables, hard surfaces and touchpoints in the community during each shift.

Our goal is to ensure that our valued residents receive uninterrupted care from our compassionate team members. After the recent school closures, we have implemented flexible policies and creative solutions to ensure that our dependable workforce can continue to fulfill their ActivCare duties, while still meeting their own familial obligations.

Our dining and activity programs have been modified to meet the updated State of California Community Care Licensing recommendations, while still continuing to engage and involve the residents. We will monitor the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) for updated recommendations and new information.

Our focus is on protecting our vulnerable resident population and our valuable team members. We appreciate your continued support as we navigate through this unprecedented national health crisis. We appreciate you entrusting your loved one to our care, and we are committed to continuing to keep you informed of policy updates and progress.

Thank you,

Todd A. Shetter
Chief Operating Officer/Partner
ActivCare Living, Inc.

Message to ActivCare Families – 5-15-20

Message to ActivCare Families – 5-1-20

Message to ActivCare Families – 4-14-20

Message to ActivCare Families – 4-3-20

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/30/20

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/23/20

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/16/20

We're here to help.

Get in touch today.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Response

Message to ActivCare Families – 5-15-20

Message to ActivCare Families – 5-1-20

Message to ActivCare Families – 4-14-20

Message to ActivCare Families – 4-3-20

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/30/20

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/23/20

Message to ActivCare Families – 3/16/20

We're here to help.

Get in touch today.

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