May 1, 2020
To our Whittier & Serenity clients, their families and care teams. We’d like to share an important update with you. On April 27th, we received our first client positive diagnosis for COVID-19. Per our COVID-19 preparedness plan, the client was immediately quarantined at the time we became aware of symptoms, and was subsequently diagnosed.
In addition to our preparedness plan and increased infection control procedures, many options have been discussed regarding how to best achieve isolation for clients that are confirmed positive for COVID-19, as well as additional measures to prevent continued spread. Due to the communal nature of the Whittier facility and the shared dinning with Serenity, our team agreed that the best course of action was to proactively quarantine all clients at Whittier and Serenity for two weeks. This quarantine began in the evening on April 29th. We are pleased to report that, for the most part, the clients of Whittier & Serenity are supportive of this approach.
We understand you may have some questions regarding what this quarantine entails, so below are a few aspects of the current quarantine plan (please keep in mind the plan may be further modified as needed).
- We will continue to maintain visitor restrictions at these facilities. As a general rule, only emergency personnel will be permitted in addition to staff and clients.
- We will continue to clean and sanitize common areas and bathrooms multiple times per day.
- Our team will practice good hand hygiene and will continue to encourage clients to as well.
- Our team will wear masks at all times and will use additional Personal Protective Equipment when coming in contact with clients or entering client rooms.
- We’ve asked clients to remain in their apartments (or rooms) and to wear masks whenever they interact with staff or other clients (other than a roommate).
- We will deliver all medications directly to clients’ apartments (or rooms).
- We will deliver all food and beverages directly to clients’ apartments (or rooms).
- We will conduct daily symptom checks as well as multiple rounds per day to check on clients.
- We will provide as much entertainment activities (cards, games, books, etc.) as possible, and will do our best to facilitate calls between clients and their families and care teams (specifically for clients that do not have their own cell phone).
If you have any specific questions, please reach out to us. We will give it our all to provide the best care possible during this quarantine. Your support and understanding is greatly appreciated.
~ the Supportive Living Solutions team