A Message From Your Executive Director
This week we will be busy responding to COVID exposure that occurred last Wednesday. Per my previous communication, we had nearly a dozen residents receive salon services from the stylist who received a positive test result the following day. We are working closely with the Vermont Department of Health to respond to this exposure in a deliberate way. Today we did our first round of testing on all assisted living residents as well as on staff. We will do that again on Friday. We believe this is a low-risk situation and hope the test results will prove that to be true.
As of today, we are expanding to allow up to 4 visitors per resident per day, up to 2 at a time. As the weather improves, we encourage outdoor visits for maximum safety. The incident with the hair stylist shows us that being vaccinated does not mean you can’t contract/carry the virus and we want our residents and their loved ones to be as safe and healthy as possible.
As we continue to dig our way out of pandemic restrictions we will be returning to full dining room service and going back to our policy of meal delivery only in the case of short-term illness. We are working to set up a system for takeout meals for those who still wish to eat in their apartment. Stay tuned for more information in the weeks to come.
Thank you for your continued support, enjoy the Spring weather, and we will see you soon!
Nikki
Community Connection
This week at The Village residents enjoyed a variety of activities including fitness sessions in Latham Gym, walks around downtown White River Junction for some fresh spring air, daily movies, root beer floats on Cantore Terrace, and happy hour. On Tuesday we took our first Scenic Drive in over four months – and Sam drove the van for the first time ever! On Friday we started seeds in Abbott Studio to eventually be transplanted to Gates Garden in a few weeks. We are excited to share that we are forming a Garden Committee led by Director of Health Services Danielle Yoder. If you are interested in joining, please see Sam or Danielle.
This week residents can look forward to a culinary demo in Smith & Sons Kitchen, celebrating National Virtual Vacation Day with a virtual tour in Lyric Cinema and a beach-themed socially distanced party, and live music with Jim Hollis on Tuesday, March 30th at 2:00 PM on Miller Stage.
As we transition into the month of April, we will be gearing up for a more robust programming schedule to include weekly live music performances, twice-weekly scenic drives, art classes led by local artist Gaal Crowl, and Yoga and Tai Chi classes led by local instructors. As usual the use of masks and social distancing will be required for all activities.
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
Andrew Fortier – Server
March saw the return of Andrew to Windsor Dining room after his snowy adventures in Montana. Andrew has previously worked at The Village as both concierge and server and was excited to return to see familiar resident faces and meet new ones. When he is not serving meals to our residents, Andrew enjoys snowboarding, skateboarding, designing sneakers, and spending time with family and friends. We’re happy to have him here for the summer. Welcome back, Andrew!
Tips For These Times
Met Acapop KIDS! This choir of 25 singers under age 18 is led by some of the world’s most influential a cappella minds and delivers current and classic hits, unforgettable and aspirational vocal performances and best-in-class music videos.
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, up to 4 visitors per day
- 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
