The coronavirus pandemic is affecting daily life for everyone across the globe. It can feel overwhelming and worrisome, with older adults feeling the effects a bit more than their younger peers. Here at The Preserve at Palm-Aire, we are focused on ensuring that our residents are safe, healthy, and happy.
Fortunately, our team is already quite experienced when it comes to infection control best practices. This has bent our learning curve significantly and allowed us to be confident in the decisions we are making. Our team is honored to be caring for and protecting our residents during these uncertain times; our focus is to put resident safety at the center of all of our decisions and daily practices.
It Starts with Diligent Infection Control
At The Preserve, we are following strict infection control protocol. For example, our entire community was fully disinfected recently, and our housekeeping staff meticulously disinfects common areas throughout our community multiple times per day.
Other infection control best practices here at The Preserve include:
- Our dining team follows dishwashing techniques that have been approved by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF).
- Our staff are wearing masks as well as gloves.
- Our team members are trained in infection control practices that are specific to their important roles in our community.
- There are touchless hand-sanitizer dispensers throughout our community for staff and resident use.
- Every staff member is screened prior to beginning their shift and has their temperature taken at the beginning and end of every shift.
Social Distancing in Action
Keeping in line with the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendations, The Preserve is not allowing visitors inside our community at the current moment. We know this is difficult for our residents and their loved ones, but we are working hard to use virtual visits and video calls as an alternative at this time. Though visitors are currently not present in our community, this doesn’t mean we aren’t communicating with family members and friends. We are actively speaking with family members and keeping everyone updated on their loved ones as well as about what is happening in the community.
You’ll see other signs of social distancing here as well:
- Staff meetings are canceled.
- Staff members are all socially distancing from one another.
- All residents are currently in isolation in their apartments.
Staying Connected
Though isolation and social distancing can feel a bit lonely, our team is working hard on new ways of connecting and meeting the needs of residents here at The Preserve. For example, staff members are accompanying individual residents on daily walks so they can get outside and enjoy the spring sunshine.
Our engagement team is working diligently to set up online shopping opportunities for residents, as well as providing leisure materials so residents can stay engaged in their homes. We are being sure to check in on our residents daily in order to see how we can best meet their individual physical, emotional, and mental health needs.
At The Preserve, we have always served our residents to the best of our abilities. Today, that is just as true as ever. We are being creative, staying flexible, and using our knowledge about each of our residents to meet their needs in this uncertain and ever-changing time. Our priority is keeping our residents, team, and community safe, healthy, and engaged.
Learn more about coronavirus and how it affects seniors by downloading our free resource, “The Complete Guide to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) for Seniors.” Packed with reliable information and backed by our 30 years of experience working with seniors, you will learn about the virus and the precautions to take if you are an older adult.
We can’t wait to see all of our visitors soon. Until then, we are committed to serving our residents to the very best of our ability.