A Message From Your Executive Director
Spring is here and we’re all looking forward to enjoying some warm sunshine this week. I hope that all of you are able to enjoy the changing of seasons as well. Watch out for that infamous season in Vermont, mud season!
I had a call with the Vermont Department of Health on Friday and can confirm that we will continue testing staff weekly at least through April. We also will continue to have access to vaccines for our new staff and residents through partnership with our pharmacy, HealthDirect. As we begin to see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel we are still committed to being diligent in our efforts to keep our residents and staff safe.
Thank you for your continued support, enjoy the Spring weather, and we will see you soon!
Nikki
Community Connection
Last week at The Village residents enjoyed group walks around downtown White River Junction, coffee & conversation socials, daily movies, and our weekly Margarita Bar on Monday. On Wednesday we celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day with a breakfast Waffle Bar, Shamrock Shakes, and an Irish Soda Bread cook-off. Sam worked with residents to bake an entry for the competition and other staff joined in the fun with their own recipes. Congratulations to Tammy for her winning entry – make sure you congratulate her when you see her this week. On Friday we worked in sunny Abbott Studio to plant mini succulents for the residents’ apartments.
On Thursday and Friday last week Sam and Danielle led training for new staff in Heartfelt Connections – A Memory Care Program, a comprehensive program based on the latest in memory care research and best practices. All employees partake in this 14-hour training after they are hired. Heartfelt Connections promotes dignity and a sense of accomplishment in day-to-day activities, supports improved self-worth, self-esteem, and overall health and well-being; and reduces fear, anxiety, and frustration. We are proud to offer this training to all employees, regardless of their role in the community.
This week we are excited to be resuming Scenic Drives twice a week! They will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30. Residents can also look forward to daily fitness, root beer floats on the terrace to enjoy the warm weather, as well as planting their own Bonsai trees. On Saturday we will observe Passover with a special celebration.
NOTE: As always, Skype calls are available to keep everyone connected. To schedule, please sign up at https://teamup.com/kszegtj8g4jco615xw and reach out to Sam with any questions.
Community Connection – Vaccines
Our 3 vaccine clinics have been completed. Residents or staff who want to be vaccinated will be able to access the vaccine as part of group 1A at a local hospital or through a newly announced pharmacy program. When we have 6 people (combination staff and residents) who want to be vaccinated our pharmacy will provide us with a vial of the Pfizer vaccine for us to administer. This will allow us to keep offering the vaccine to new residents and new staff.
We understand that you may have questions about this process as well as the vaccines themselves, for that reason we are sharing below the links to the CDC and Pfizer websites to help answer some of your inquiries.
Team Member Spotlight
Tricia Crawford – Business Office Manager
Last week we welcomed new Business Office Manager, Tricia Crawford. Tricia recently returned to her home in the Upper Valley after living for 8 years in Jamaica. She has a background in full-scope property maintenance as well as HR. When she is not working Tricia is a lover of nature and can be found hiking trails or running with her dog Kingston. Welcome, Tricia.
Tips For These Times
What a spring garden come to life in the absolutely breathtaking time-lapse short film by National Geographic. We’ll be seeing the daffodils popping up here in Vermont in the coming days, so keep your eyes on them.
Talk Time
Join Nikki every Wednesday at 10:00 am via Zoom for COVID and community updates and have an opportunity to ask questions.
This Week’s Menu
This Week’s Activities
COVID-19 In Our Community
We are committed to keeping you informed of how COVID-19 is impacting The Village at White River Junction. We continue our robust commitment to following the guidelines from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities by:
- Based on our current Phase and the positivity rate in our county, visitors will be allowed beginning 2/26/21
- All visits must be scheduled ahead of time. We need to record the time you enter the community and the time you leave.
- Limit of 2 visitors per resident at a time
- We will gather name and contact info for contact tracing for every visit.
- Visits may occur between 9am and 7pm.
- Core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention will be enforced. These include:
- Screening before each visit
- Hand hygiene
- Mask use for all visitors and staff
- Physical distancing when possible
- Visits can occur in the resident’s apartment or outside.
- Requiring all staff to wear surgical or procedural masks and adhere to screening processes
- Maintaining the frequency and rigor of cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces
- Reviewing our emergency preparedness and response program
- Asking residents and employees to adhere to the State of Vermont travel restrictions
- Coordinating best practices across our large partner network
- Group activities are held following social-distancing guidelines
Helpful Links
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
- www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/index.html
LCS COVID-19 website
Local health department website
From the Governor
