The Village Update July 5, 2021

A Message From Your Executive Director

Dear Residents and Families,

I am pleased to announce that beginning Monday 7/12/21 we will be
allowing guests back into the dining room *if* the guest is vaccinated.
Guests may join their friend or family member for a meal but must
sit at a table that does not include any other residents. We will not be
requiring proof of vaccination. We will be counting on guests to use the honor system and do what is right to keep our residents safe. This is a giant step forward and one that I hope will bring some relief to our residents and families.

We have several exciting programs on the horizon for our residents. In the community updates section below you can read about The Masters Series as well as about our new initiative with Open Door Integrative Wellness. We are very excited to bring more wellness programming to our community.

Be on the lookout for new faces around the community as five new residents chose The Village in the month of June and there are more to come in July.

A reminder to residents and family members that it is important for residents to sign out at the concierge desk when leaving the building. In case of an emergency, we need to be able to account for every resident’s whereabouts. Thank you for your efforts with this.

Thank you for your continued support and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Nikki

Community Connection

Over the past two weeks at The Village residents have been making the most of the warm weather and easing COVID restrictions! Activities have included daily walking groups around downtown WRJ, culinary demos, ice cream socials, happy hour, and group lunches in Gates Garden. Outings included a trip to Northern Stage’s

new outdoor theatre to see The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, the Montshire Museum of Science to view the Summer of Dinosaurs exhibit, a shopping trip to Walgreens, and lunch at Three Tomatoes Trattoria and Harpoon Brewery.
As a special treat, residents were joined by Executive Director Nikki Fortier and Director of Memory Care Gretchen Cole for lunch at Salt Hill Pub where the

fish & chips were bigger than our heads and the soccer fans were boisterous! We celebrated the 4th of July with a fun lunchtime cookout accompanied by live music by Matt Seiple.

Each Thursday evening Carol Kolenski has been facilitating an evening of culture, The Masters Series, where residents view a documentary of a prominent person and follow it up with snacks and lively conversation. There has been a packed house in Lyric Cinema the past 2 weeks to learn about Pavarotti and Mozart and we’re looking forward to the next 6 weeks.

Over the next two weeks residents can look forward to group fitness, daily movies and documentaries, coffee & conversation socials, flower arranging and gardening in Gates Garden, and culinary demos. Outings will include Billings Farm and Museum, a picnic lunch at the Calvin Coolidge Historic Site, and Green Mountain Horse Association for the Summer Hunter Jumper Show! Be sure to sign up with the concierge for all outings.

The Village is excited to be partnering with Open Door Integrative Wellness, located in downtown White River Junction to offer a six-week series of three classes; Tai Chi, Functional Fitness, and Spine Health/Somatics. These classes will be held at The Village in Latham Gym. Please see Sam for more details and a schedule of classes.

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

We encourage all residents, staff, and visitors to get vaccinated against COVID-19. If you have questions about the vaccines these links may be helpful to you:

CDC COVID-19 FAQ and Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Response Updates

Family and Caregiver Support Group

The Village Caregiver Support Group

Our next meeting will be on Tuesdays in the Smith and Sons Kitchen. (2:00PM-3:00PM) We will meet person.

Please contact Gretchen Cole with any questions.

Team Member Spotlight

Bonnie Haskins – Care Partner/LPN 

Bonnie recently joined our team of nurses on 2nd shift. She brings 38 years of nursing experience to The Village, including stints in hospitals, rehabs, and long-term care, and we are grateful to be adding her to the team. Bonnie’s favorite things include red velvet cake, Thanksgiving, the food at Colatina Exit, books, and the beach. Bonnie has 2 children, 3 grandchildren, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. Welcome aboard, Bonnie!

Talk Time

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, the following protocols for visitation are in place:
  • 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; fully vaccinated visitors may remove their mask when in a private area with a fully vaccinated resident
  • 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
• Coordinating best practices across our large partner network
• Group activities are held

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

• www.lcsnet.com/covid-19-update/

Local health department website

• https://www.healthvermont.gov/local/white-river-junction

From the Governor

•   https://governor.vermont.gov/covid19response