It’s likely that you’ve seen news reports about how COVID-19 is hitting senior living communities where residents may be vulnerable to the disease. Because of that, you may be concerned about moving your loved one, or yourself, to one of our communities at this uncertain time. We get it, we’ve seen the reports, too. There’s a lot of fear out there.
We want to help lessen those concerns and fears, especially now. Winter is just around the corner, and seniors who stay in their homes, perhaps longer than they should, out of fear of being exposed to COVID in a senior community face the isolation the winter season brings. Falls and accidents can occur, to say nothing of the burden of shoveling your steps, driveway and sidewalk.
Despite what’s happening with COVID-19, our communities may be the safest place for you or your loved one. We believe that being an Ebenezer community, makes us stand out. We’re a part of Fairview Health Services, so all of our communities have access to top-notch clinical care, practices, procedures, expertise. We’re on the front end of early implementation for universal practices to ensure safety for our current residents and staff, as well as anyone looking to move into senior living.
Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been doing to keep staff and residents safe during this time.
The Ebenezer Difference at Riley Crossing Senior Living
Testing
With the help of the M Health Fairview Swab Squad, a mobile testing service from Fairview, we have access to testing that gives us quick results. That way, if we do get a positive result, we can get on top of it quickly to provide the best care possible, and prevent transmission.
Screening
Testing is important, but so are daily screenings. At Riley Crossing Senior Living and all of our Ebenezer communities, we conduct daily staff screenings, including temperature and symptom checks. Employees who are running a fever or who have had symptoms, or contact with people who have had symptoms, will not be allowed in the buildings.
We also conduct daily resident screenings, including temperature, oxygen and symptom checks.
Supplies
Having the supplies for our excellent staff to do their jobs safely is a vital part of keeping our communities healthy. You may have heard of shortages of PPE equipment like masks, face shields and gloves. Not at Ebenezer. Through our robust supply chain, you can be assured our staff will have the personal protective equipment they need now and in the future. This also goes for disinfecting supplies. We have what we need to keep our communities disinfected, sanitary and safe.
Practices
At Ebenezer, we have put together strict staff protocols and practices to keep staff and residents safe. All staff wear masks and face shields during their shifts. We clean all high-touch areas twice each day, and if a resident begins to show symptoms, we have isolation protocols and plans in place to prevent transmission.
Support
As part of the M Health Fairview system, we have the best possible healthcare in the region at our backs. The Swab Squad, a mobile COVID-19 testing team, is able to travel to all of our communities to deliver rapid testing. We also have an Employee Occupational Health team to ensure we’re doing all we can to keep our valuable employees safe, too.
Expertise
At Ebenezer, our Dedicated Infection Control team is on the front lines of state-of-the-art practices for controlling and containing this virus. We offer residents a COVID-19-only hospital (Bethesda) in which to recover under the care of the best of the best. After their hospital stay, residents can go to a COVID-19-only rehabilitation center (Ebenezer Ridges TCU), to get them back on their feet before they return home.
Results
Our results speak for themselves. We have the lowest current infection rate per population served! It’s because of our dedication, expertise and care.
At Riley Crossing and Ebenezer, we’re dedicated to the safety and security of all those who call our communities home. We can assure you that we’ve taken all of the necessary precautions and even put clinically innovative procedures into action during this very uncertain time in history.
