Update From Administrator – July 21, 2020
Our team and I hope this email finds you safe and healthy.
This will be my last family update as I am being transferred to Litchfield Woods this week. It has been my pleasure being able to interact with your loved ones and I will miss them all. Thank you for all the support you have given over the years and I look forward to seeing everyone in the future.
Please remember that the outdoor visits must be pre-scheduled to ensure safe and healthy visits for you, the residents, and our staff. It also allows our team to ensure your loved one is available and ready for your visit to make the most of your time together. These visits require appropriate PPE (masks) to be worn at all times and a social distance of 6 feet between you and your loved ones for the entirety of the visit. The specific guidelines and details regarding perimeter visits can be found on our website and Facebook page. If these restrictions pose issues for you please keep in mind that we continue to offer other visitation alternatives like Facetime, Skype and window visits. You can schedule a visit by calling 860-489-1008 or emailing us at recreation@valeriemanorhcc.com.
Other updates from our recreation team include:
•Offering increased activity programming including hallway Bingo, arts and crafts, in-room 1:1 visits (visit our Facebook page to see ongoing pictures of these activities)
•Currently planning activities to celebrate National Skilled Nursing Care Week in August. We are booking entertainment for residents to enjoy along with many other activities.
We are happy to report that we continue to be Covid free, with no new cases in several weeks. As mentioned on our last Town Hall call, we conducted another round of resident testing this past week and all test results returned negative. We will conduct another round this week, to include any new admissions during the last week, and are hopeful that we will remain free of the virus. Some of our families have inquired about increasing time outdoors so we are actively trying to get people out of their rooms while maintaining the appropriate safety measures. As we continue to maintain a COVID-free status, we will hopefully be able to reduce restrictions under the guidance of the CDC and MA Department of Public Health.
As you are aware, Governor Lamont ordered nursing home workers to be regularly tested for the coronavirus disease. We were able to execute an agreement with our Care Partner to have testing done and we have been completing weekly testing for the past few weeks. All employee results received so far have returned as negative and a second round will commence Wednesday morning. Through ongoing testing, we are hopeful to keep all our residents and employees safe while at Valerie Manor.
We are very proud of the work our staff have put into ensuring all our residents are well cared for and protected during these trying times. If you share this sentiment I encourage you to send me a testimonial to share on our website or we always welcome recommendations on our Facebook page.
As a reminder, our next “Town Hall” meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 23rd at 2pm. We encourage any residents and family members to contact the team with any questions or concerns you may have about the care we are offering. Our commitment is to be as transparent as possible and work to address any issues that arise.
Thank you and please stay safe.
Marisa Jones, LNHA, MBA
Administrator