COVID 19
Updates Regarding COVID-19
Keeping our Residents Safe
We are committed to keeping our residents safe from the Corona Virus (COVID-19). Since the beginning of March, we have implemented multiple measures to protect our staff and residents from the COVID-19 virus.
The measures taken in Independent Living include:
• Single point of entry for all persons entering the building
• All persons (including staff) entering must pass a health and travel screen as well as get a temperature screen
• All persons entering must sanitize belongings coming into the building as well as their hands
• All persons entering must wear a mask
• Visitors are restricted to essential visitors only, which include medically necessary visitors and/or operationally necessary service technicians/vendors
• Visitor hours are restricted between 9am-4pm
• Deliveries are preferred between 9am-4pm
• All packages are sanitized prior to coming into the building
• All residents are self-isolating in their rooms and may leave to walk outside the perimeter of the building, do laundry and for medically necessary appointments
• All residents must wear a mask when outside their apartment
• All dining and activities have been temporarily canceled
• Many services are delivered directly to resident apartments including meals, prescriptions, newspapers, mail and packages
• Resident temperatures are taken regularly
• All common and high touch areas are sanitized multiple times a day
• Staff are encouraged to wash hands multiple times a day
• Staff are practicing social distancing at work and outside of work
• Staff are not to come to work when they are sick
• Activities and programming are delivered through our in-house channels and include: exercise classes, movies, documentaries, Ted Talks, Master Classes, BINGO, Broadway Plays, and more!
• Additional activities to engage residents include: parades of music and entertainment around the building with residents joining in from their balconies, weekly packets of trivia and brain teasers, and special treat deliveries of donuts, hot chocolate, ice cream and more!
• A mini store was created to make basic necessities available for residents to support residents staying in their apartments
• A car battery charging program was developed to ensure car batteries will stay charged during this time to support residents staying in their apartments
• Recorded calls are used to update residents, staff and family members of new measures and how to stay safe
We thank the many families who have purchased groceries for their loved ones! We encourage you to continue if possible or assist your loved ones in using online delivery services, taking advantage of our mini store, using the café delivery service for breakfast or lunch, or adding a 2nd meal of the day.
We also encourage you to review the CDC website for information about COVID-19, including its symptoms, how it spreads, and actions you can take to protect your health: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Thank you very much for your cooperation in keeping our residents and staff safe and
healthy. We continue to monitor the local environment. Please note that the measures above are subject to change based on the status of the virus and the environment in and outside the community.
In Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing, we follow guidelines and recommendations of the CDC, DPH, DHS and DSS.
Letter from the CEO, March 17, 2020
Dear Freedom Village residents and family members,
Freedom Village’s motto is A Family of Friends. Never has that been more evident than now, in our most challenging of days. With that in mind, the owners and managers of Freedom Village want to express our appreciation for your cooperation as we implement unprecedented health safety measures throughout our campus. While we strive to maintain a balance of normalcy amidst these changes, a quick look at the news around the world tells us that the next several weeks and months will stress our collective resources in ways we have never considered. We want to reiterate that our priority is the safety and well-being of our residents, resident families, our staff and their families.
Your Executive Director, Jennifer Suckiel, has sent out an update on the safety measures we are taking at the Freedom Village Retirement Center and Health Center. In short, we are entertaining no visitors and encouraging all residents to stay safely on campus until this crisis is over.
Obviously, the economic challenges we now face have only served to create more concern for all of our family members. Freedom Village proudly remains a debt free community. Also, having learned lessons from the challenges of 2008 and 2013, we have bolstered our coffers with significant reserves and are fully prepared to weather this storm.
Please stay in touch with us and reach out to each other. A quick video chat over Skype, FaceTime or Google Duo can work wonders to calm fears and reconnect.
It has been our privilege to own and manage Freedom Village for the last 33 years. Our residents are our family and we promise to care for them to the absolute best of our ability.
Tom Stringer
Partner and CEO
