A Note From Our Chief of Operations Regarding COVID-19

Dear Residents, Family, and Visitors of the Elders Inn, and The Waters Edge Lodge,

We are writing this letter to inform you of the proactive measures we are implementing to protect our community from the risks and spread of the Corona Virus, COVID-19. As you are aware, the virus COVID-19 is present in Alameda County, and there have been several high-profile cases in the local and national news. Currently, there are no signs of the virus present at any of our communities. We will remain diligent in our efforts to protect our residents, staff, and visitors here at AEC Living from the potential threat and spread of the virus. It is important to remember that this virus can infect anyone no matter their age, gender, or place of origin. During this stressful time, we must strive remain calm and logical; fear can lead to panic and making poor decisions.
Like many viruses and infections, COVID-19 poses a greater threat to the health of seniors and individuals with compromised immune systems; we are taking extensive precautions to limit the risk. Even though COVID-19 is a unique virus, we are trained and have experience with proper infection control procedures. In anticipation we have reviewed training in the areas of infection control and prevention, proper hand-washing and hygiene, and potential quarantine procedures.

We are currently implementing the following best practice procedures for COVID-19 at our AEC Living communities.
 Signage has been placed at every community entrance, asking that every visitor to help us protect the health of our residents by postponing their visit if they have a fever, cough or other respiratory symptoms.
 We are cancelling all self-service food and snack offerings while the threat is present in the area. The coffee station in the café has been moved to the front desk, and the receptionist will serve residents and guests coffee upon their request.
 Staff members with respiratory symptoms or fever are being told to remain at home and must get a clearance from the doctor before returning to work.
 We are reminding all residents and guests to regularly wash their hands before all meals and any group activities.
 All visitors and outside care providers are being asked to wash their hands upon entry to the community.
 Additional handwashing stations are being installed at each entrance. In the meantime, hand sanitizers are available.
 At the front desk we have displayed screening questions and hand sanitizer at the front desk to assure compliance with the CDC guidelines.
 We are following enhanced cleaning procedures. Our environmental staff members are sanitizing all common areas throughout the day with a virucide with known efficacy to Coronavirus focusing on cleaning frequently and wiping down surfaces that are frequently touched, such as door handles, touch screens, phones, keyboards, elevator buttons, rest rails, handrails, countertops, and faucet handles.
 The dining staff have scheduled extra cleaning between meals to include wiping down surfaces with virucide and bleach solutions.
 All residents are assessed daily for symptoms of respiratory infection, and the evaluation and treatment protocols recommended by public health officials and the CDC will be followed.
 Residents who show any sign of flu or cold symptoms will be served meals in their rooms and asked to self-quarantine
 We will not move in any new resident who meets the CDC guidelines for COVID-19.
 Outside pets are prohibited at this time.
 We have ordered extra supplies of perishables and cleaning solutions to assure meeting our residents’ needs if the supply chain is disrupted.
 We are considering all the potential risks, and have cancelled events with local schools, large outside groups, volunteers, and we have also cancelled our annual spring Easter egg hunt.
We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 outbreaks and will adjust our precautions as recommended by the CDC.  We are asking everyone to consider their own risk; if you have potentially been exposed to COVID-19 do not come into the community. If you believe that you have been exposed to COVID-19, wait before coming to visit and make sure that you cannot spread the infection, it would be better to call or video chat with your loved one instead of putting them at risk.

If you have any questions or concerns please call me at (510) 748-9700 or email me
stephen@aecliving.com
Sincerely,

Stephen Zimmerman
Chief Operating Officer
Additional resources and information regarding COVID-19:
Center for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
CA Department of Health: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx