A Message From Your Executive Director
Dear Residents and Families,
Our battle with COVID-19 continues. We are now testing all staff and residents twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and we continue to see cases pop up. Regional, state, and national transmission of the virus is so high right now and we are seeing the effects of that. We kept COVID at bay for nearly 2 years and this variant finally caught up with us. The very good news is that residents who have tested positive have little to no symptoms. We continue to work hard to follow all protocols, guidelines, and advice given by the state’s epidemiology team.
For the foreseeable future we will continue to have a pause on communal dining and group activities. Our life enrichment staff will spend time one-on-one with residents who want that. The directors will also make visits to assisted living residents this week to check in and connect. As my previous correspondence has indicated, we are not restricting visitors at this time. That said, it is strongly encouraged that visitors and residents be masked for all visits. We are working day by day and hour by hour to manage staffing, allowing staff who test positive to stay home and recover.
We know this is difficult for our residents and we are working to be proactive to help them stay connected. My conversations with the state always include how we balance protection from COVID with protecting resident mental health. It is a fine line to walk and will continue to be evaluated constantly.
In non-COVID news, I have made an offer to my top candidate for Director of Memory Care and they have accepted. Stay tuned over the next month for more details about this hire.
As always, I thank you all for your efforts and your support. The Village truly is a special place.
Nikki
Community Connection
During the time when group activities are paused, our life enrichment staff is making one-on-one visits with residents as much as possible. This week we will broadcast movies on the community channel for those who have a TV in their apartment. Stay tuned for details.
Dartmouth’s Aging Resource Center offers virtual poetry readings on Fridays at 3:00pm. Here is the information if you are interested in joining from your personal computer or iPad.
Virtual – Food for Your Soul: Reading Poetry Together
Fridays 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm
This is a virtual event. If you have questions about how to connect to the event, please contact the event host. Leader: Lori Fortini.
Poems offer ways to look at our world that are relevant for our time and give rise to deep thoughts and feelings. Join us as we read poems together. We will share and discuss our responses to the poems to feed our souls.
You will receive a zoom link for this class 60 minutes before the class starts. The zoom link will be sent directly to the email you registered with.
Community Connection – Vaccines
We implemented a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all staff effective 10/16/2021. We believe this will go a long way to keeping us all safe this winter.
We continue to offer the booster to all eligible residents and staff. We offer a Pfizer booster for residents and staff regardless of which type of vaccine they originally received. The CDC and FDA both have approved mixing and matching the booster dose.
CDC Frequently Asked Questions
Team Member Spotlight
Jeremy Perkins – Cook
Jeremy joined The Village kitchen team recently as a Cook. Jeremy is organized, efficient, and dedicated. He has been a welcome addition to Peter’s team. When he is not working Jeremy likes to spend his time with his family, going to the ocean in Maine, and listening to music. He loves the 4th of July, record stores, Nascar, Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, and collecting vintage signs. Jeremy lives in White River Junction with his wife and 4 children. Welcome aboard, Jeremy!
This Week’s Menu
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 8am and 8pm.
- No communal dining for Assisted Living
- Currently we do not allow guests to eat in the dining rooms.
- 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
Local health department website
From the Governor
