As the coronavirus continues to spread, elder care centers have taken up extra precautions to protect residents, who are some of the most at risk of illness and death according to the CDC.
Greg Asimakoupoulos, the chaplain of Covenant Living at the Shores in Mercer Island, said their center has followed all CDC guidelines and more.
“We’re taking the precaution recommendations by the CDC and we’ve also gone beyond that by canceling large group events,” Asimakoupoulos said. “We are canceling monthly communion … it’s the first time in the seven years I’ve been here (communion has been) outright canceled.”
The Christian sacrament of communion is administered differently in different traditions, Covenant Living practices intinction, where each partaker dips a piece of bread into a communal cup of wine (or sometimes grape juice).
Asimakoupoulos also said staff who feel sick are being encouraged to stay home, but no staff is currently suspected to have a case of coronavirus. Covenant Living also is changing its food practices — Asimakoupoulos said the center is delivering food to residents who don’t feel well and waiving the surcharge for the service, while canceling the weekend buffet for the time being.
Besides regular activities that have been canceled, the funeral service for Barbara Jean Showalter has been delayed, according to Asimakoupoulos. He said the family of Showalter did not want to risk adding to the spread of the virus.
Dan Scansen, the executive director of MBK Senior Living, said their facility is staying in lock-step with all CDC recommendations and also has put up signs asking staff, friends and family to stay home if sick.
“In-house we’ve done things to enhance care — we have a one-hour closure of the dining room for cleaning and disinfection every day,” Scansen said. “We are stopping any group performances that would be coming into our facility.”
Some companies are going to the effort of adding coronavirus pop-up bars or navigation tabs to their websites, such as Sunrise Senior Living and Aljoya, which is under Era Living.
Dr. Albert Munanga, Era Living’s regional director of health and wellness, said in a statement their care centers are screening for health before allowing entry and are restricting those who are sick.
“It’s important that anyone with symptoms, or the possibility of exposure, isolates themselves and stays away from others, especially older adults,” Munanga said. “Once someone is screened and given permission to enter, they are given a brightly colored sticker to wear during their visit as an extra level of precaution.”
As public attention toward coronavirus continues to grow, so is the conversation about how to care for the elderly without neglecting their need for family and companionship. All care centers that spoke to the Reporter emphasized their desire to provide both safety and care to residents.
“We urge the public to show kindness and compassion to older adults and other vulnerable populations by taking precautions to prevent the spread of this and other viruses,” Munanga said.
