July 17, 2020 —The Mid-Hudson Region has reached Phase IV of NYS’s Reopening Plan. Here at Kendal, we are taking appropriate steps forward toward our own reopening efforts. Please read on for our latest updates.
Staff Testing
On May 20th, KOH began routine testing of all staff in response to Governor
Cuomo’s Executive Order that staff of nursing homes and assisted living
facilities be tested for coronavirus. We
are in a unique position as a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community)
having many staff who may not enter the Health Center or interact with
residents living in the Clearwater, Sunnyside & Adirondack neighborhoods.
Despite this fact, every Kendal staff member who works on site has been
included in testing regardless of their work location and job duties. The Governor’s’ original Order has been
extended now twice and is effective through August 8th. Each staff member is tested once per week on
site at our own “clinic” set up solely for this purpose. If any test results return positive, the
results are reported to the residents and designated representatives of the
impacted health care area. These are
also reported weekly in our Thursday Status Update documents distributed in
hard copy to residents and electronically to families/loved ones.
Visitation at Kendal on Hudson
The campus reopened to visitors on June 8th for independent living residents to
accept guests outdoors only. This has
been successful; a friendly reminder to everyone that masks are required as
well as the social distance of 6 feet.
The Terrace remains a “safe space” for residents only.
It has been both challenging and disappointing for residents of the Adirondack, Sunnyside and Clearwater that NYS Department of Health directives have restricted visitors and congregate activities. While we all may understand the reason in being cautious, understanding does not alleviate the emotions involved with this physical separation.
On July 10th, the Department of Health released guidance
addressing the resumption of visitation in the State’s Adult Care Facilities
(i.e. assisted living) and Skilled Nursing Facilities (i.e. nursing
homes). The guidance outlines two areas:
(1) the criteria that each facility must meet and
(2) the required components of each facility’s visitation plan.
One of the criteria to move forward is that each facility has reported “no new
confirmed staff or resident cases [of COVID-19] in the last twenty-eight (28)
days”. We do not currently meet this specific
benchmark due to new onset of COVID-19 among staff. Please note that our industry advocacy group,
LeadingAge New York, has shared their overall disappointment that these
benchmarks were released without the clarification that there are very few facilities
in the State (especially our region) that will qualify for visitation with this
benchmark in place. Basically, Kendal is
not alone in having staff test positive.
A common question we receive is “Aren’t your staff being careful?”. It is important to emphasize that all positive staff identified through routine testing have been asymptomatic. They are genuinely shocked when receiving the lab results. Our staff are indeed being extremely careful and mindful of COVID. They have all been extremely diligent in their use of Personal Protective Equipment while performing their job duties here at Kendal. This is evidenced in our low incidence of COVID cases among residents. Their positive results are due to unknown exposures in their daily lives, which could happen to any one of us who leaves our home to visit a store or interact with others. To put this in perspective, the 7-day rolling average of positive individuals tested in the Mid-Hudson Region, where Kendal is situated, is 1%. Kendal’s 7-day lookback is less than the regional average, coming in at 0.4%. Even at our highest week, where three separate staff tested positive, Kendal’s staff rate of infection was 1.4%.
While we await meeting all the benchmarks, the Infection Control Team and Health Center Interdisciplinary Team is developing the visitation the plan – to be rolled out as soon as we are approved. Please be aware that, while the DOH has provided this guidance, visitation will not be completely unrestricted as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. There are still a great deal of safety precautions to be complied with.
Reminders and Updates for the Independent Living Resident
Community
We know there has been a lot of information provided throughout the course of
the last four and half months! Here are the reminders from past
communications. Please note updates to
the “Out and About at Kendal” section below, including the re-opening of some
common area spaces.
GUIDELINES for INDEPENDENT RESIDENT SOCIAL GATHERINGS
• Limit outdoor social gatherings
of up to a maximum of 6 individuals
• Two residents may visit 6 feet apart with masks in elevator lobbies
• Must wear masks and maintain 6-foot social distance
• If you are drinking, please keep your mask on and lower it to drink; if
eating, please replace your mask as soon as you are finished eating
• For a mask to work properly, it must cover your nose and mouth GUIDELINES for
INDEPENDENT RESIDENT VISITORS ALLOWED OUTSIDE ON CAMPUS
• All visits outdoors; bathrooms available ground floor lobbies of Alida,
Clermont and Robert Fulton ONLY; NO visitors in apartments yet
• Where possible, limit visitors to four at a time
• Terrace remains a resident safe zone; no visitors on the Terrace please
• Visitors to campus must wear masks and observe 6-foot social distancing
AVAILABLE OFF-CAMPUS ACTIVITIES ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR MASK and HAND SANITIZER!
• Outdoor walks on Kendal property,
Rockwood Park, Sleepy Hollow Manor and anywhere you can walk on your own
(remember to hydrate!)
• Kendal Transportation Available, please call x1068 to pre-schedule:
o Medical Appointments that your
doctor can not provide via telehealth
o Beauty Salon Appointments at an outside salon
- If you have your own transportation, the following is available in our region:
o Curbside pickup – retail stores and dining venues
o Outdoor dining at restaurants
o Golf and Tennis
- Day Trips with Family Members; Guidance includes:
o Wear a mask when traveling in
the car with non-Kendal family members
o Sit in the back seat, if possible
o Visit outdoors, if possible
o Socially distance when on visit
o Overnight stays are considered higher risk and are not recommended; however,
if you do vacation or stay overnight with family, you must self-quarantine upon
your return.
Call Resident Services for additional information.
OUT & ABOUT AT KENDAL
• Dining Services
o Bistro open for Take Out Only;
please wear your mask and maintain 6-foot distance while waiting in line
o Delivery still available
o Coffee available daily at “Kendalbucks” (Private Dining Room window) 8am –
10am
• Pool open Monday – Friday; 9:30am – 11:30am AND 1pm to 3pm o Please come dressed in your suit with a robe & wear your mask
• Gathering Room available to resident groups of six people or less. Reservations required by calling Resident Services (Ellen x1080) or the Front Desk (x1000)
NEW beginning Monday, July 20
• Open daily from 9:00am to 11:00am and Noon to 2:30pm (closed mid-day for cleaning)
o Art Room – maximum 6 people at a
time
o Craft Room – maximum 5 people at a time
o Ping Pong Room – maximum 2 people at a time
• Library – available to go in and browse for books; please do not sit and read so that all may browse
RE-OPENING on Tuesday, August 4th
• Salon
o By appointment only; please call
salon for appointment (x1057)
o Hair only currently; nail services not yet available
o Serving a maximum of 2 customers at a time