March 12, 2020
Family, Friends, and Loved Ones of Our Residents:
A new respiratory disease – coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – is spreading globally and there have been instances of COVID-19 spreading in the United States. The general strategies CDC recommends to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities are the same strategies we use every day to detect and prevent the spread of other respiratory viruses like influenza.
Iris Memory Care is monitoring the situation related to COVID-19 and following CDC recommendations.Our first priority, always, is the safety of our residents and our staff. Our residents are a vulnerable population, and we want to do everything we can to keep them safe and well.
At this time, Iris Memory Care has no cases of COVID-19, and we are taking the following precautions to prevent any cases from developing.
Limiting Visitation:
• Visiting hours for family and friends are:
o Tuesday – 8AM to 2PM
o Thursday – 2PM to 6PM
• If you are able to delay your visit to our community, please do so. Of utmost importance, please do not visit if:
o You have had a fever of greater than 100 degrees in the last 5 days.
o You have had a cough, cold, shortness of breath, or fatigue/body aches outside the norm in the last 14 days.
o You have had close contact with someone known to have had a cough, cold, shortness of breath, or fatigue/body aches outside the norm in the last 14 days.
o You have traveled in the last 14 days (international and/or within the United States).
o You have had close contact with someone known to have traveled within the last 14 days (international and/or within the United States).
o You have had contact with someone with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection.
o You have had contact with someone, including healthcare workers, that have had close contact with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patient.
o You have been to a group gathering with more than 10 people in last 14 days.
o Any of the above applies to anyone in your household.
If you must visit our community if any of the above are true for you or any member of your household, you MUST call and speak with the Executive Director or Wellness Director prior to
visitation.
Also, if you must visit our community, but you are feeling under the weather, please get prior approval from the Wellness Director. If approved, you will be required to wear a mask and
potentially have other restrictions in place.
All visitors will be required to complete a questionnaire prior to entry.
Until further notice, any events held within our communities (support groups, family nights, holiday parties, etc.) are cancelled.
We will be happy to set up phone calls, video calls, or other remote visiting methods for your visit with your loved one. We know how important your visits are to those we care for, and we want to work with you to find a way to continue your visits remotely.
Regarding our third-party providers (home health, hospice, lab, etc.), we will only be allowing essential personnel to enter our communities. At this time, essential personnel is defined as nurses, therapy providers, and home health/hospice aides. Non-essential personnel include chaplains, volunteers, marketers, entertainment, and others.
Ensuring Universal Precautions Are Followed:
• All staff has been educated about the importance of following universal precautions, including proper hand washing techniques. Hand sanitizer, soap, and personal protective equipment (PPE) are on hand.
o This education will be an ongoing effort. The leadership of our communities is communicating regularly about the importance of maintaining universal precautions.
• If you visit our community, please utilize the hand sanitizer available prior to entering, and either utilize the hand sanitizer available throughout the community or wash your hands before and after having contact with a resident or staff member.
Limiting Resident Exposure to the General Public:
• Until further notice, Iris will not be taking residents on outings. We will still take residents on rides/drives, but we will not take them to public places.
• We ask that you refrain from taking your loved one on outings other than those that are essential, such as doctor’s visits. Taking them out of the community may result in a 14-day quarantine to their room or possibly other measures.
These protocols have been put into place out of our obligation, love, and desire to protect those that are in our care. We hope that you can understand and support these temporary changes for our communities. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask the Executive Director or Wellness Director at the Iris Community your loved one calls home.
Stay safe and be well.
Sincerely,
David and Brandon
Owners, Iris Memory Care