Update from Administrator – October 26, 2020
Dear Families,
As always, our team and I hope this email finds you safe and healthy.
We continue testing our staff and residents at regular intervals as required by CMS, CDC and DPH. We are happy to report that we remain COVID free!
Although we are following social distance guidelines, handwashing protocols, hygiene recommendations, and wearing masks in our center – are still STRONGLY enforced.
CDC and department of health have recommended that all staff resume weekly testing as the COVID numbers have spiked in CT.
I want to reiterate that this pandemic is still active and while we remain COVID free, the state of Connecticut is reporting an uptick in new cases of COVID and as we see in the news; some states continue to surge with new cases. This serves as a reminder that we must all remain vigilant in following all guidelines, recommendations, and best practices to stay safe and fight this pandemic.
Some updates
• FLU VACCINE: We STRONGLY encourage that all staff and residents receive an annual Influenza Vaccine. We have received our shipment of vaccine; please consider completing a consent form to ensure your loved one receives their vaccine if you have not done so already. Our goal is 100% participation of staff and residents. Most residents have had their vaccine, and staff vaccinations begin this week.
• The Department of Public Health (DPH) also announced that are resuming routine surveys. As always, we will continue to communicate to you when a state or federal agency has conducted a survey here.
• Food is allowed to be dropped off by families for their loved one’s enjoyment and take out delivery has also been authorized. Please coordinate delivery with us.
Please make sure to let us know who the food is for, so we can deliver to your loved one as soon as possible.
• Each nursing unit has tablets assigned for resident use such as virtual visits, games, etc. and many of our residents are enjoying learning how to use this technology and having the world at their fingertips.
• Our outdoor social distancing activities programming continues to expand and evolve.
• Every weekday, I and my administrative team round a different nursing unit and meet with our residents to let them know we’re here for them and give them an opportunity to voice any questions or concerns they may have directly to us. We also use this time during rounds to assess our residents, our environment, and ask our residents specific questions such as satisfaction with meals, preferences, activities being provided, interaction and response from staff, proper operation of all equipment in room and more!
Indoor Visits Continue, we hope you are enjoying the longer visits.
Based on that, nursing homes and visitors must adhere to the following conditions:
• We must limit the number of visitors per patient at one time and limit the total number of visitors in the center at a time. This will be based on the amount of physical space we have available for our designated visitation area, which will be our recreation room.
• We need to limit the duration of visits to help ensure all patients can receive visitors. Just like our outdoor visits, once we have more experience behind us, we can adjust this, if necessary.
• Cleaning and disinfecting of the designated visitation area will occur by our staff in between visits. This is another factor affecting the amount of time and numbers of visitors we can have in our center.
• Screening for anyone who enters our center – temperature and health screen questionnaire – will take place.
• We cannot allow visitors to move freely throughout our center; visitors will go directly to the designated visitation area, through our patio on the side of the building.
• Hand hygiene must be followed and personal protection equipment (PPE) must be worn by visitors.
• Social distancing requirements remain as they do for our outside visits.
• We offer indoor and outdoor supervised social distancing visits 7 days a week.
For more information or to schedule your visit please call 203.459.5152 or email recreation@maefairhcc.com
Indoor, End Stage of Life Care Visits
Should a new case of COVID be identified in the center, all inside visits, except end stage of life, will be temporarily put on hold, for 14 days.
Outside & “Alternative” Visits
Please know that outside and “alternative” visitations will continue. While the weather is changing, we will work to continue to do outside visits on our patio for as long as possible and window visits are still possible.
Remember that we do offer iPads for our residents to use for video visits, phone calls, etc. to ensure that you and your loved ones remain in contact, as best as you can during these very uncertain times.
As always, thank you for your patience and please stay safe and healthy!
We look forward to meeting with you tomorrow at 4pm and again on Friday at 11am.
Thank you,
Rita Lynch and the Maefair Team