A Message From Our CEO Regarding The COVID-19 VirusRead More
Here at Solvere Living, we manage retirement communities around the country – from active adult and independent living environments to assisted living and memory care residences. We have dedicated our careers to this field because we are passionate about the individuals who reside in senior living, and this passion fuels our response to this unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. Please allow me to take a moment to explain how our company is protecting those we are entrusted to serve.
To begin, let me assure you that we are constantly updating our protocols based on the newest guidance by federal, state and local officials, as well as implementing additional best practices recommended by our industry. Our primary areas of focus at this time are prevention, education and communication. We are acting with an abundance of caution, reinforcing our policies and procedures and infection control measures with our team members.
Key steps include diligent hand hygiene, adhering to all cleaning and disinfecting protocols using approved materials, and practicing social distancing whenever possible. We are also restricting visitors except essential healthcare personnel, with the goal of preventing residents from being exposed COVID-19. These personnel are being thoroughly screened daily for any symptoms and any known contact with or exposure to COVID-19. Additionally, residents are being screened daily for any symptoms, including temperature checks and questions about potential COVID-19 exposure.
We understand how frustrating and nerve-racking not being permitted to visit a loved one can be. However, this is a necessary step and one recommended by the CDC, the White House and various state and federal agencies to protect vulnerable older adults. Still, there are other ways to maintain connections and they are very important. We are eager to assist family members to sustain bonds by setting up Skype and FaceTime calls along with phone calls and other methods for keeping in close touch. Please let your community team know you are interested and they will be delighted to help.
The social isolation necessitated by coronavirus doesn’t mean residents are alone. Far from it! We are holding speed events via video and providing more one-on-one and small-group programming. We have even brought back the old-fashioned US post office mail method of pen pals, connecting residents throughout our sister communities. These are just some of the ways we are living our mission to inspire people to realize their full potential during this pandemic.
To our wonderful residents, our deepest thanks for your understanding, cooperation and support during this unusual time. You never cease to amaze all of us and you continue to do so now.
To our families, thank you for your understanding and the kind offers of help and support you have extended to us.
And to our incredibly talented and hard-working team members across the country, I am so thankful for all you do every day, and especially these last few weeks. You are the foundation of our communities and I applaud you.
We remain committed to our core values of building relationships through integrity, transparency, loyalty and entrepreneurship. For more information and ongoing updates, please keep visiting this page. The mandate for social distancing doesn’t mean we distance ourselves from our humanity. Together, we will get through this. I encourage each of you to share your questions, thoughts and concerns at any time with any member of the Solvere family, beginning with myself.
Thank you,
Kristin Ward
Chief Executive Officer
Community Access and Visitor Protocol
All Solvere-operated communities are restricting visitors to only essential healthcare personnel, who are being screened and documented. This process includes using screening logs for symptoms and questions about travel to or contact with areas of potential COVID-19 exposure.
Community Programs
Large group activities have been suspended for the near future until social distancing of six feet is no longer necessary. However, social isolation at our community doesn’t mean residents are alone! Not only are our team members interacting with residents regularly, we’re engaging with them in new and creative ways by facilitating family and friend communication on Skype and FaceTime, holding specialized events via video and doing more one-on-one and small-group programming. We have also brought back the old-fashioned US post office mail method of pen pals among our sister communities. These are just some of the small ways we are living our mission to inspire people to realize their full potential.
Community Dining
We have suspended communal dining in order to practice social distancing and are delivering meals to each apartment or suite. We are also utilizing refreshment carts to provide in-between meal snacks and specialty items. We are even having a contest to see how creative our teams can be! A few examples are door-to-door rolling omelet stations, ice cream carts and “drive by” happy hour via service cart to name a few.
Outings
All community and individual outings are suspended. We strongly discourage residents from leaving the community for any reason. Any resident that leaves for any reason will be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return to ensure the safety of all residents and team members. The team is available to assist residents with obtaining remote or delivery services as much as possible to prevent the need to leave.
Infection Control
Solvere has added new COVID-19 in-service trainings to our training portal and are tracking regular and ongoing trainings for all team members. In addition, we have provided additional training on good hygiene practices. All communities continue to practice good hand hygiene (washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds) and are practicing social distancing. In the event of an active case, all communities are stocked with the appropriate personal protective equipment, or PPE.
Resident Screening
All Solvere communities are screening all residents daily. Residents with any symptoms are being screened every 4 hours to monitor for possible COVID-19 infection. We have implemented the infection control protocols recommended by the CDC, including use of personal protection equipment, or PPE.
Solvere Living has compiled important links and information to help you stay apprised of any updates that become available. The website links below will provide a resourceful mix of important COVID-19 updates as well as activities to help individuals remain socially, culturally and intellectually stimulated and engaged during this period of home quarantine.
National Updates
State-by-State Departments of Health for Solvere-Operated Communities
Activities for Both Residents and Prospective Residents
Solvere Living has formed a task force to respond to community and family questions and concerns around-the-clock during this pandemic. Its purpose is to ensure comprehensive and timely responses as well as to continuously update protocols and communicate with residents and families. Here are the task force members and their background:
Rebecca Townsend is the COO for Solvere Living and oversees all services for our managed communities. Rebecca has more than 28 years of experience in operating and overseeing senior housing communities.
Lorie Dancy is the SVP of Wellness and Compliance Officer for Solvere Living and oversees all care, compliance and programs for our managed communities. Lorie has over 25 years of experience in nursing and healthcare and is an RN and licensed Nurse Practitioner.
Marquette Leach is the Managing Director of Wellness for Solvere Living and is responsible for the day-to-day management of Solvere communities’ wellness departments. Marquette is an RN with 20 years of experience in nursing, leadership and healthcare and will be awarded his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in August 2020.
Sarah Casey is outside general counsel for Solvere Living and is a 10-year practicing attorney who specializes in healthcare and advises on legal and compliance matters for long term care, provider groups and healthcare technology companies nationwide.
Dear Residents, Team Members, Family and Friends;
We continue to be committed to keeping you informed on the latest COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations from the CDC, state and local governing authorities. These protocols can be challenging to follow and even unsettling to hear at times, and we are keeping each resident engaged, active and socialized through these transitions.
As you may be aware, federal and state agencies continue to provide stringent protocols around visiting senior living communities, self-isolation and social distancing. We have elected to update our protocol according to these guidelines in the interest of protecting residents and team members.
New Entry And Visitation Protocols
We continue to restrict all visitors from entering the community, with the exception of:
The individuals who meet these criteria continue to go through our screening for symptoms and recent travel before being permitted to enter the community.
We strongly discourage any resident from leaving the community.
Effective immediately, any resident who leaves the community premises will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. Likewise, any resident moving into the community or returning from an emergency room visit, hospital admission or sub-acute rehab stay will also be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return. During the 14-day isolation, residents will receive enhanced screening for symptoms related to COVID-19. Our community teams are prepared to work closely with each resident and to provide assistance in meeting any needs a resident may have outside of the community including shopping and medication pickups.
New Dining Protocol
At this time, residents will no longer receive meals in the community dining room. To ensure the social distancing recommendation of six feet between each resident is maintained, meals will be delivered three times a day to residents’ apartments. We will also be providing snacks and refreshments to each resident three times a day during wellness and activity check-ins.
Communicating With Family And Friends
Weekly Skype sessions are being made available and facilitated for each resident with their family members or friends.
We understand this is a difficult time for many. Thank you for your continued support as we implement these safety measures on behalf of the residents and team members. You can see updates here and on our community Facebook page as well.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Townsend
Chief Operating Officer
Lorie A. Dancy
SVP of Wellness/Chief Compliance Officer
Dear Residents, Team Members, Family and Friends;
As we continue to hear breaking news regarding COVID-19, we want to keep you fully updated about our safety precautions. Federal and state agencies continue to add more stringent orders and protocols around visiting senior living communities, including the frequency in screening anyone who enters the community, as well as residents. There are also new guidelines pertaining to the recommended number of individuals to be present at one time in a group setting. We have elected to update our protocol in the interest of protecting residents and team members.
Effective immediately, all team members will be screened at the beginning of each shift. Temperatures will be taken on all team members and essential healthcare personnel entering the community. Residents will also be screened daily for symptoms and exposure. We strongly discourage any resident from leaving the community. Leaving the community increases the exposure of COVID-19 to the resident who left the community, therefore, increasing the likelihood of bringing COVID-19 into the community. This would create an extreme threat to all other residents living in the community by increasing their likelihood of contracting COVID-19 and transmitting it to others. Any resident who has underlying conditions such as heart disease, pulmonary disease, liver disease, cancer and many more illnesses increases the risk of them being able to combat COVID-19 successfully, if contracted. Any resident who still chooses to leave the community will be discouraged from doing so and screened upon each re-entry to the community.
We are taking steps to implement activity programs and dining that minimizes the number of residents in one group setting at a time but, rather, focuses on small group or individual activity and engagement. We continue to restrict all visitors from entering the community with the exception of essential healthcare personnel. Essential visits would include our team members, private caregivers and outside healthcare for providers such as skilled nursing or therapy groups who provide services to residents necessary for their continued well-being, family members of residents who are on hospice and end of life care, and essential deliveries of goods and services to the communities. The individuals who meet these criteria continue to go through our screening for symptoms and travel questions with every visit before being permitted to enter the community.
We continue to work closely with state and local authorities, as well as our vendors, in accessing the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is needed. We are currently executing on plans to ensure the communities have the necessary PPE to keep each resident and team member safe.
We recognize the difficult situation this is for many of the residents and family members. Each community is dedicating time to ensure family members and residents who wish to connect via phone, FaceTime or Skype are provided the opportunities and support to do so.
We continue to meet daily and are staying informed and implementing recommended directives and guidelines to avoid the transmission of infection as much as possible. Our COVID-19 response team is available for any questions or concerns and will continue to update you as new information comes out. We appreciate your support, patience and cooperation during this challenging time.
Respectfully yours,
Rebecca Townsend
Chief Operating Officer
Lorie Dancy, MSN, RN, CRNP
SVP of Wellness/Chief Compliance Officer
Dear Residents, Team Members, Family and Friends;
As we continue to hear breaking news regarding COVID-19, we want to keep you fully updated about our safety precautions. Federal and state agencies have begun to add more stringent orders and protocols around visiting senior living communities, and we have elected to update our protocol in the interest of protecting residents and team members.
Effective immediately, we are prohibiting all visitors to our communities except for essential visits. These include:
The individuals who meet this criteria will need to go through our screening for symptoms and travel (now including any international travel), before being permitted to enter the community. We know this is an emotional hardship for our residents and family members. We encourage you to communicate by phone, FaceTime, or Skype, to continue to interact with and comfort your loved ones.
We are meeting daily and continue to have our COVID-19 response team available for any questions or concerns and will continue to update you as new information comes out. We appreciate your support and cooperation during this challenging time.
Rebecca Townsend
Chief Operating Officer
Lorie Dancy, MSN, RN, CRNP
SVP of Wellness/Chief Compliance Officer
Solvere-Operated Community Residents, Team Members, Family and Friends;
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, we are taking precautionary measures following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health agencies as appropriate. These agencies have released guidelines for employers and healthcare providers to help contain the spread of coronavirus.
In addition to the steps we’ve taken to date related to hand hygiene, cleaning/disinfecting and supplies at the community, we are implementing additional team member and visitor screening. In an effort to ensure that the residents and team members stay in optimal health, we are asking anyone with a fever, cough or other flu-like symptoms, or who has traveled to an area of known infections within the last 30 days, to refrain from visiting our communities. We will also be asking questions related to the above symptoms to prevent the possible transmission of infection. Please be patient and candid in providing answers and listening to directives, to ensure that we are gathering the necessary information and responding appropriately. Finally, we are also considering limiting larger group events on a case-by-case basis to protect residents and avoid the possible spread of infection and apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Our team is meeting daily to stay current, direct resources and to support the residents and each community. We will continue to follow recommendations for infection prevention from the CDC and will communicate any changes as they arise. Should you have any questions, please reach out to your community General Manager or Wellness Director.
Thank you for your support as we strive to keep the residents, their loved ones and team members safe.
Rebecca Townsend
Chief Operating Officer
Lorie Dancy, MSN, RN, CRNP
SVP of Wellness/Chief Compliance Officer
