The Coronavirus. It’s everywhere. Every media outlet in the nation is running around like a chicken with their head cut off. We’re here to tell you to BREATH. While it’s no secret that seniors over the age of 60 are at a greater risk of serious COVID-19 related health complications, there are easy and logical steps that seniors and senior living communities can and should take to prevent the spread of the virus. In this blog, we’ll be touching on some of those tips, as well as what we at The Wellington are doing to keep our residents safe!

STOP. THE. SPREAD.

This is a no-brainer, folks. By reducing unnecessary person-to-person contact, not only are we less likely to spread the virus if we have it, but we’re less likely contract it in the first place. Some simple steps seniors can take to cut down on human contact are:

• Try switching from a 30-day medication refill to a 90-day supply, if possible. This, along with utilizing your prescription drug plan’s mail order delivery can help reduce the amount of travel and exposure to others.
• Utilize your health insurance carrier’s telehealth benefit. Many health insurance carriers are now recommending using virtual or over-the-phone doctor visits for your regular scheduled appointments. In fact, Medicare has recently expanded it’s coverage of telehealth services to respond to the public health emergency.
• Avoid daily meal services and activities at your senior living community until the pandemic is contained. Contact your meal providers to see if they will deliver your meal to your door.
• Exercise is still important! But, instead of exercising in a workout facility or walking around the halls of the complex for exercise, try exercising outside, away from others.
• If you feel like you may be sick, the CDC recommends calling your doctor first instead of dropping in. This way, your doctor can screen you to see if it’s worth the risk to come in. No need to expose yourself to a doctor’s office with sick patients unless absolutely needed!
• If you currently take medications, don’t miss a day. Not only are older adults more susceptible to contracting the virus, but individuals with health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and lung diseases are also at a high risk.
• Alert your community director via phone if you are feeling ill. This way, steps can be taken to further prevent the spread to the other residents or staff members.

For more tips on helping to prevent the contraction and spread of COVID-19, refer to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website.

Updates at The Wellington

The safety and well-being of our residents and staff is our number one priority. Because of this, we thought it’s important to make some temporary changes to keep everyone safe. Effective immediately, we will be:

• Disbanding lunches in the dining room. Any residents who attend daily lunches will have their meals delivered directly to their rooms. Staff members will be wearing gloves and masks for residents’ safety.
• Cancelling all Wellington-sponsored activities until further notice
• Recommending residents to restrict the amount of visitors to their apartments, unless it’s vital to their health and well-being
• Asking any visitors to use patio entrances and avoid common areas and hallways, if possible
• Restricting ride services to residents who have doctor/dentist appointments or need groceries

Taking even a few of the steps mentioned in this blog will go a long way in properly preparing for this pandemic. At The Wellington, we’re taking serious precautions to make sure our residents and staff members are indeed safe. If you or a loved one have questions about how we are tackling the COVID-19 scare, please don’t hesitate to call. Stay safe, everyone!