Covid-19 has affected all our daily lives. What at first seemed like a virus abroad has quickly crossed borders and disrupted how we live and work. That said, for senior housing operators, this disruption and how we respond to it is a matter of life and death.
Critical measures must be taken in order to mitigate the risk of Covid-19. With this in mind, Lloyd Jones is taking a multifaceted approach to mitigation.
First and foremost, we are staying up to date and complying with federal and state guidelines. We immediately restricted all visitors, including physical therapists and outside nurses. However, we are helping our residents communicate with family via email and video/phone calls to ensure that they are staying connected. We are reducing staff, and those who are working are regularly tested for the virus. Also, they must wear personal protective equipment at all times. Our offices and amenities are closed, and only critical maintenance requests are approved.
In parallel, our housekeeping efforts are at an all-time high. All high touch areas are cleaned multiple times daily. In addition to the common areas, apartments are being cleaned more frequently. In the dining room, tables and chairs are wiped down after every seating. Lunch seating is staggered, and all residents wear masks outside of their apartments. For the time being, dinner is served inside of the individual apartments.
Physical and mental health are of the utmost importance during times of stress. All group activities have been canceled, but our teams are conducting multiple exercise/meditation groups per day with a limited number of residents. Furthermore, the teams are offering more one-on-one time with the residents.
For us, these steps are not guidelines, but rather strict protocol to ensure the safety and health of our residents and staff. We look forward to returning to some form of normalcy but will take with us the lessons learned during this time to ensure continued safety and health throughout the future.