At Choice in Aging, the vast majority of folks we serve are frail elders with multiple chronic conditions. This is the population at greatest risk for negative impacts from the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We, like you, are committed to ensuring we are doing our part to protect those we serve each day and to flatten the curve (see the infographic below and visit www.flattenthecurve.com for more detailed information). You can also get updated information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention here: CDC COVID-19 or see FAQs from the World Health Organization here: WHO COVID-19. For caregivers, we recommend browsing the information posted on the John A Hartford Foundation site here: Resources
At Choice in Aging, we provide medically necessary services to this population in our Adult Day Health Care centers and are addressing the current pandemic in the following ways:
- Keeping calm and informed at all times, please view this chart for a list of symptoms of Coronavirus, the flu, and the common cold
- Providing ongoing real time education for our staff, participants, families and social media connections
- Increasing and magnifying safety protocols around universal precautions and prevention of disease spread including:Increasing hand-washing and surface sanitizing for all staff, participants and spaces in our licensed medical adult day health care programs
- Working with transit agencies and accessible transit providers to employ new and ongoing sanitization practices before and after vehicle usage
- Ensuring staff who are sick or experiencing symptoms are not coming in to work
- Sneezing into the crux of our arms (allergy season – no need to panic from an allergy sneeze, but act as if you could be sick and not know it)
- Not touching our faces and where possible, keeping safe distances between people
- Daily research on updates and communicating out to staff and families if information changes
- Disseminating information from county health officials in each of the counties we provide services
- Working with experts in our field and experts in the medical field daily to ensure we are evolving our thinking and practices with the greatest real time data
Beyond our Adult Day Health Care programs, we provide Intergenerational Montessori Preschool, transitions out of skilled nursing facilities, nursing and social work care management in frail elders’ homes, transportation and more. We are currently monitoring how we do these with the least amount of spread and risk. We have temporarily suspended our intergenerational programming, monitoring closures and today announced to staff that we will be implementing remote working mandates and parameters for social distancing in all we do.
We will continue to keep you apprised and appreciate your partnership and support in protecting the frailest among us.
Please do your part! Stay home when possible and you can follow all of the above precautions as well!
