Four months ago, Angels Senior Living joined the world in taking unprecedented steps to protect our residents, staff members, and communities from the emerging threat of novel coronavirus. Governments, businesses, and individuals radically changed to address the danger posed by the community spread of COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the prevailing strain of coronavirus.
Angels Senior Living led the way in making changes to how we keep everyone in our family safe. We’re happy to report on many successful initiatives that have kept COVID-19 at bay and ensured your loved ones are both cared for and protected. We also want to share some of the steps we’ve taken at the direction of the Florida Department of Health and Agency for Health Care Administration to further safeguard your loved ones.
Angels Senior Living currently has no instances of community spread
We weren’t impervious to the effects of COVID-19. Some of our communities suffered individualized or localized outbreaks, but quick action and diligence from every level of our staff has so far prevented worst-case scenarios like widespread community infection or cross-community contamination.
We continue to maintain this level of diligence across our organization. We monitor your loved one’s vital signs, particularly temperature and oxygen saturation, every day. We also record temperature readings from staff members before their shifts. This provides timely warnings in the event of any infection and helps us prevent spread.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to managing COVID-19. We want to be open with you about how each of our communities are affected, and that starts with maintaining a dialogue.
Angels Senior Living informs all loved ones about COVID-19 cases in our communities
Our ability to communicate with our residents and their families is very robust. Administrative staff at our communities reach out to family members by phone when we conduct COVID-19 tests. We also reach out the moment we receive either positive or negative test results for your loved ones. This is our preferred form of communication with our family members because it allows us to answer any questions you may have immediately.
Please understand that positive results take priority to protect our residents and staff, and will be immediately addressed. This could cause a slight delay in getting through to a community when results are coming in.
We also send out emails providing detailed breakdowns about what is going on or what occurred at our communities, even if there were no infections. These emails usually reach your inbox within 24 hours, based on AHCA’s recommendations.
Connecting with you about results is just one of the ways we want to stay in touch. It’s important to keep our residents engaged with one another, our staff, and most importantly, their loved ones.
Our communities have gone the extra mile to connect you to your loved ones
Many residents and their loved ones at Angels Senior Living have different preferred methods of communicating with each other. Some use FaceTime, some prefer Facebook Video, and still others like a nice phone call! However you want to get in touch with each other, the staff at our communities do their part to make it happen.
We also offer a form for you to share any special messages, drawings, or pictures you may have to a resident. These get sent to each community so they can personally deliver your message to your loved one. If you’re having trouble reaching a resident or particular community, feel free to reach out on that community’s Facebook page or by contacting us on our website.
Angels Senior Living ensures all staff members are well-trained and equipped with proper PPE
Our staff members are the most important part of our team, and at every level, we’ve seen them step up to make residents as comfortable as possible while we grapple with COVID-19. They continue to interact with your loved ones each day, helping them perform activities of daily living and enjoy themselves during these difficult times.
To keep our residents safe, staff members wear facemasks, gloves, and face shields at all times. Masks and gloves are regularly changed, face shields are cleaned periodically, and in certain situations, we also use gowns to further reduce any chances of spreading infection. Residents also receive masks and gloves to protect themselves.
Staff members also receive periodic training and updates on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Caregiving staff do not travel between communities, and infected staff are kept out of our communities until they test negative twice.
Speaking of testing, we want to share our comprehensive process with you, including some recent changes.
Angels Senior Living works with the Department of Health to test employees on a biweekly basis
We built inroads with local laboratories to conduct our own testing early on during the coronavirus pandemic. While this helped us early on in identifying potential infections, the Florida Department of Health recently produced new guidelines on how every assisted living facility and other long-term care facilities must protect your loved ones. You can find a copy of these guidelines here.
Ultimately, it comes down to the following:
- All staff must be tested every two weeks
- All tests must be administered at the facility
- Copies of these results must be maintained and used to guide each facility’s decision making
Angels Senior Living is proud to care for your loved ones and keep them safe. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to your community or our corporate office at (877) 480-2244.
We are proud to continue serving you and your loved ones as we look towards the future and prepare to open our doors
We know this is a difficult time for everyone. Many residents and their loved ones want to be reunited. We want you to be together too. We follow guidance from the Florida Governor and the Florida Department of Health, and all of us are working diligently to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
Please be on the lookout for more information from the state of Florida, Centers for Disease Control, and from us as the situation continues to develop. We appreciate your understanding.