Slowly and safely reopening our Maryland and Pennsylvania retirement living communities

Maryland and Pennsylvania retirement living communities, including Country Meadows, have been tirelessly working on how to give the best and most reliable care to residents during this fragile time. Thanks to our compassionate co-workers and our executive team members’ dedication, several of our campuses are ready to bring some normalcy back to our senior independent living campuses. Our mission has been and always will be serving our residents like family, and with the new changes we’re making to our processes within our community, we believe we will be able to give more peace of mind to both residents and their loved ones as we move forward.

How we’re continuing quality care for our residents

Health and safety are our top priorities while serving our residents. The teams at Country Meadows know these goals begin with strict cleaning protocols. A few of the elevated processes we’re incorporating into our routines include daily sanitizing common, high-touch surfaces and effective antibacterial, single-use cleaning products. We’ve installed bipolar ionization technology within our ventilation systems to further filter airflow and disinfect any harmful microbes before they can settle on surfaces. We will continue to replace our filters regularly to ensure maximum efficiency and purity of air.

Family visits are a critical part of quality living in any senior living community. Keeping safety at top of mind, we found creative ways for our residents to see their family while remaining safe. This process varies from campus to campus; some family visits are held in a semi-private seating area with chairs eight feet apart, where other campuses are carrying out their visits through a window while utilizing an intercom to speak with their loved one sitting outside. Any family interested in scheduling a visit must go to our visitation page to choose a date and time. All appointments are separated by a ten-minute period where our co-workers will then sanitize the space.

Because each of our senior independent living campuses are operating in different areas, it’s likely that many of our retirement communities will be in differing phases of re-opening. Our Corona Task Force and our executive team members have introduced action plans as we enter and exit each phase of this pandemic so that each campus operates based on the safety guidelines in place at the moment. These plans include which dining options will be open to residents, transportation services available, social distance group activity updates, and more.

Protecting our co-workers in our Maryland and Pennsylvania retirement living communities

Along with our residents, the health and safety of our co-workers are of great importance to us. While all of our teams are trained on infectious disease protocols during their onboarding, we keep our co-workers updated on all best practices. We want to keep them healthy and at a lower risk of contracting this disease while at work and also in their daily lives. We have set up strict and consistent testing policies to help our co-workers stay informed as well.

Personal protection equipment (PPE) is a critical aspect of our COVID-19 preparations. Country Meadows is continually evaluating the best practices for donning and doffing all PPE and any equipment that our co-workers need to use to protect themselves. We are focusing on reusable products to help mitigate the risk of using any compromised equipment. Currently, our facilities have thousands of pieces of advanced PPE equipment on hand and tens of thousands available in warehouses for future supplies. These pieces include safety glasses and face shields, K & N95 masks, single-use gowns, and coverall jackets for extended use.

All of our co-workers enter and exit our senior living facilities from a specified area. This has proven to keep possible sources of contamination to a minimum. Handwashing stations, sanitizer and other cleaning products can be found throughout our campuses for our co-workers as well.

Communicating key messages to senior living residents and their loved ones

Ensuring everyone has accurate information on the status of campus activities and visitation restrictions has been an important focus for Country Meadows. We are using all communication resources available to us, including personal conversations, texts, emails, and by website updates. As Maryland and Pennsylvania retirement living communities begin to open up, each campus will operate within its own set of limitations and allowances. To keep everyone updated, we have created several news pages on our website. Here, we share details as soon as we receive them, including one on visitation alerts that are being updated often. In addition, our co-workers and our executive team will continue to have daily conversations and recurring meetings to evaluate progress and discuss any breaking news.

Welcoming new residents and moving forward

While many of our Maryland and Pennsylvania retirement living communities move into less restrictive phases, Country Meadows understands the need to stay vigilant, safety-conscious, and knowledgeable. We are committed to giving our residents the best care possible so they can have the independent senior living experience they have come to know and love. We also understand that there are many seniors looking for a safe and caring community to call home. We feel that with our advanced protocols, we can offer that safe environment to anyone seeking a quality retirement community. Currently, Country Meadows is providing custom video tours for any interested residents or their families. These video tours offer seniors and their loved ones the ability to experience our campuses and all of our amenities in a capacity that gives them peace of mind both currently and for their future. And as our community moves through this crisis, even more opportunities to visit our facilities will be available.

To learn more about Country Meadows, our mission, and how we are working through these difficult times, we encourage you to visit our website. Here, you’ll find updates on our current policies and further information on all of the services we offer within our Maryland and Pennsylvania retirement living communities. We provide a range of amenities for many levels of care and unique requirements including personal care services, memory support, and senior independent living. Contact us today to see how Country Meadows can meet all of the needs for you or your loved one through our quality and compassionate care.