July 2, 2020: UPDATES Shared with Residents and Families

Happy Fourth of July weekend!  We are a few days away from beginning outdoor visiting and, again, sharing the process for scheduling. We can’t stress enough the importance of following the procedure for safe visits and we are counting on everyone involved for the success of the program.

Julie Roh, Volunteer Coordinator, is helping to schedule and you may contact her with questions at:

julieroh@valleyvna.org or 920.624.6087.

Outdoor Family Visits will begin July 7

• Visits will be Monday-Friday morning from 10:00–10:45 am and afternoon from 1:30–2:15 pm.

Process for scheduling Outdoor Family Visits:

CBRF Residents: Your first contact will receive an email detailing the visitation process and a direct link to the Sign Up Genius calendar. NOTE: We must have an email address on file for the first contact so we can send the sign up link.

Independent Residents: You are responsible to share the information with your family as we do not have primary contacts for everyone. If you want us to send an email out, you will need to provide that information to Marian at the front desk.

• Two guests (age 16+) will be allowed at each visit.
• Each guest will need to be screened and temperature recorded before start of visit
• Each guest is required to wear a face mask the entire visit and maintain 6 foot social distancing during their visit. We have placed a bright green X with tape on the ground with the chairs in place, seating needs to be kept like this to ensure social distancing. Residents should wear a face mask as well.

As always, thank you for your patience, support, and understanding.

Theresa Pichelmeyer, President and CEO

 

June 26, 2020: UPDATES Shared with Residents and Families

The Department of Health Services (DHS) on Thursday released their Visitation Guidance for Assisted Living Communities. We continue to be guided by their expertise and are now ready to move forward and implement Outdoor Family Visits. We have included the DHS  Safer Visits  recommendations in the program and its success is dependent upon the compliance of all participants: visitors, residents, and staff.

Outdoor Family Visits will begin July 7.

Visits will be Monday-Friday morning from 10:00 am – 10:45 am and afternoon from 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm.

Process for scheduled Outdoor Family Visits:

CBRF Residents: Your first contact will receive an email detailing the visitation process and a direct link to the Sign Up Genius calendar. NOTE: We must have an email address on file for the first contact so we can send the sign up link.

Independent Residents: You are responsible to share the information with your family as we do not have primary contacts for everyone. If you want us to send an email out, you will need to provide that information to Marian at the front desk.

• Each court has its own calendar to help eliminate confusion and keep visits separate per court:

Coral Court visits will be held outside Door 7 (Coral Entrance).

Emerald visits will be held outside Door 5 (Emerald Door).

Amber visits will be held outside Door 3 (Amber Entrance).

Sapphire visits will be held on the patio to the left of the front entrance (outside Angela’s office).

Alex will have two family visit areas in the Alex Courtyard by the statue of St. Frances.

• Two guests (age 16+) will be allowed at each visit.
• Each guest will need to be screened and temperature recorded before start of visit
• Each guest is required to wear a face mask the entire visit and maintain 6 foot social distancing during their visit. We have placed a bright green X with tape on the ground with the chairs in place, seating needs to be kept like this to ensure social distancing. Residents should wear a face mask as well.

Julie Roh, Volunteer Coordinator, is helping to coordinate Outdoor Family Visits. You may contact her at  julieroh@valleyvna.org or 920.624.6087.

Visits are based on several criteria: the prevalence of the virus in the community, Valley VNA continues virus free, the weather, and that all visitors and residents follow the guidelines for safe distancing and wearing of masks. We reserve the right to cancel scheduled visits if it is in the best interest for the health and safety of residents and staff. 

As always, thank you for your patience, support, and understanding.

Theresa Pichelmeyer, President and CEO

 

 

June 18, 2020: UPDATES Shared with Residents and Families

As we have shared in previous communications, we have developed a process for outdoor visits, while keeping the safety of residents, staff, and visitors in mind. We understand the frustration of not being able to spend time with family and friends and want to implement this as soon as it is safe to do so. However, with the rise in

positive cases of COVID-19 in Winnebago County, and the risk of spreading the virus within our Valley VNA community, we are going to keep the start of outdoor visits on hold.  As we have said, we need to be vigilant for the safety of residents and staff. This isn’t a decision that was made lightly. The Valley VNA Executive Team had a lengthy discussion with the bottom line being: safety.

Valley VNA continues to follow guidelines from the Department of Health Services (DHS) for health and safety. DHS is currently reviewing the guidelines for outdoor visits and we are waiting (quite anxiously) to hear their recommendations. We struggle with knowing the pain that all of this is having on our residents, family, and friends. Please know that we are listening and hear your concerns. As soon as we are able, we will begin scheduling outdoor visits.

This is Father’s Day weekend and a time for family and friends to spend time with one another. I know it’s not the same as a hug, but please consider contacting our Life Enrichment team, they are here to help you connect using FaceTime, Skype, email, or even a phone call.

We have staff who can help make the connection.

Contact:  Joelin Mueller, Life Enrichment Coordinator

920-727-5544 ext 1060

joelinm@valleyvna.org

Thank you for your patience, support, and understanding.

Theresa Pichelmeyer, President and CEO

 

 

June 12, 2020: UPDATES Shared with Residents and Families

As we have shared recently, we are working on a process to support outside visits with residents and family. We understand the anxiety and frustration that both our residents and family members are experiencing for not being able to have the same level of communication and closeness with each other before the shut down. The process we are working on depends on two things: the weather (since the visits are outside only), and the cooperation of the resident and visitors to follow the  process. We will have designated spaces for outside visits that adhere to: the six-foot social distancing guidelines; the requirement to wear, at minimum, a cloth masks during the visit;  and not sharing items such as food or drinks. We feel confident that if these processes are followed, we will reduce the risk to our residents.

Our intent is to share the process with you next week with the goal of starting visits the week of June 22nd. Whether families are picking up residents for appointments, rides, etc.,  please wear a mask along with the resident to provide a additional level of safety and protection. We are aware there have been some family visits on the weekends and evenings which are currently outside of our Centers for Disease Control and Department of Public Health guidelines. We are asking for your patience and to please follow our guidelines and restrictions. There has been a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Winnebago County and we are watching this closely. And, depending on what occurs in the next week may or may not alter our goal. Safety of our residents (and staff) is our number one priority.

You have entrusted us—and we take your safety and care very seriously.

Michelle will be back in the hair salon starting Monday, June 15.  Salon visits with Michelle will be a bit different from how she used to operate before COVID-19:

• Michelle will screened, have her temperature taken daily, and will wear a cloth mask like all staff members.
• Michelle will be making appointment and share her weekly schedule with shift managers, and managers will share daily salon schedule at shift report.
• Staff will assist residents to and from salon if they need help, as Michelle will not be leaving the salon.
• Michelle will have a walkie-talkie in the salon to notify staff when a resident is ready to be helped back to their room, if necessary.
• Michelle will use the Emerald salon for our residents in the back courts.

As always, thank you for your patience, support, and understanding.

Theresa Pichelmeyer, President and CEO

 

 

June 5, 2020: UPDATES Shared with Residents and Families

One of our constants throughout the last several months has been the variety of ways that the Life Enrichment team has kept residents busy and engaged. Staying active—physically and mentally, and staying connected with family and friends helps to keep everyone in a healthier place. In fact, staying  connected just got a little easier thanks to a generous donation to purchase iPads!

We have staff who can help make the connection.

Contact:  Joelin Mueller, Life Enrichment Coordinator

920-727-5544 ext 1060

joelinm@valleyvna.org

Each week a calendar of upcoming activities is available so everyone knows what to expect and residents can participate if they wish. The calendar is also available on the Valley VNA website.

From the Eagle’s Nest It's true, from my office I have a bird's-eye view of the parking lot and can see those of you who are driving far too fast. For the   safety of everyone, please, please, please slow down!

We mentioned last week that we were working on opening the hair salon as well as looking at ways to accommodate outside visits.

This is where we are at:

Hair Salon We anticipate Michelle returning to the salon in the coming weeks and we encourage residents to use our salon instead on going off-site. Each time someone leaves the Valley VNA campus for outside appointments it  increases the chances of bringing COVID-19 in the building. Michelle will be making the appointments herself, and the exact process for residents and staff will be communicated to you.

Outdoor Visits There will be designated Visiting Areas in each of the courts. Scheduling of visits will be similar to the way that Rickshaw rides are scheduled. Julie Roh will create an online calendar where visitors can sign up for a visiting time. Visits will be scheduled Monday-Friday. Visitors will be screened, need to wear a mask, and only two adult visitors will be allowed per visit. We will share the process with you when we have it finalized.

As we have said, these plans are subject to change.

Again, thank you for your patience and support.

Theresa Pichelmeyer, President and CEO

 

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