This pandemic has been a huge struggle for everyone, but it has been especially worrisome for senior citizens and senior living communities that are entrusted with caring for them, such as assisted living, memory care or post-acute care. COVID-19 has placed us in a position where we had to act decisively to provide the best care possible, while remaining completely transparent with the family members of those individuals in our care and outside media sources. As part of our commitment to transparency and quality care, here are a few of the ways that we continue to remain strong against COVID-19 and keep your loved ones healthy and safe.
Decisive Roll Out of Policies and Procedures across the Continuum of Care
During times of crisis, you need to have leaders who are decisive and take charge. In fact, according to Forbes, “Decisive action – going hard and going early, (will help) to stamp out the worst of the virus.” Spring Hills is proud to be able to say that we acted decisively in all aspects of our response efforts to COVID-19. Our senior management team worked as a collective unit hosting multiple daily calls to roll out new procedures in the most uniform and swift manner possible.
Creating COVID-19 Specific Units
Health experts and media outlets agree that the best defense we all currently have against this virus is keeping socially distant when we are healthy and isolating ourselves when we are symptomatic. From their official page on social distancing, the CDC warns that, “COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. Social distancing helps limit opportunities to come in contact with contaminated surfaces and infected people outside the home.” With that in mind, Spring Hills moved quickly to create COVID-19 specific units in buildings that are at high-risk areas of the country as well as following all other recommendations from the CDC and WHO.
Following Safety Precautions to Keep COVID-19 Out of Our Buildings
Senior living is an essential business. Whether there is a pandemic or not, we cannot simply shut down operations and lock our doors. Experts agree that considering care for your loved one if they need it is still the best option for their health by saying, “Considering the enhanced safety measures senior living communities are taking, moving into a senior community may make more sense than living alone and not getting adequate care.” We understand the oath we took to be there for the seniors, but we also made certain to create and enforce strict safety precautions to keep COVID-19 out of our buildings and limit exposure as much as possible. Some of these procedures include simple, universally followed, things such as wearing proper PPE at all times and eliminating any group exposure. There were also specific initiatives we took as a company to further enhance our safety protocols, such as daily COVID-19 specific calls with our directors with recordings sent out to everyone in the company to promote transparency.
Created the Heroes of Healthcare Movement to Show Appreciation to Frontline Workers
Finally, we understand that it is tough to be an essential worker right now. That is why we have created our Heroes of Healthcare movement to show our appreciation to every brave staff member who continue to selflessly give of themselves to ensure the health and wellbeing of the people in our care. We are so honored to have such brave individuals on our team and we made them a top priority in our COVID-19 response.
At Spring Hills Senior Communities, we are strong against the COVID-19 pandemic and are working tirelessly to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones. To learn more, contact your local community.