Senior Living Safety

Coronavirus Preparation

By Nik Edlinger on Mar 6, 2020 in News

The novel coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, is spreading globally, and senior living communities are especially at risk due to the age of their residents. We’ve collected these industry resources and recommendations to help senior living providers keep everyone healthy and thriving.

Coronavirus Intro Video – WHO

This quick video from the World Health organization covers the essentials of what the disease is, where it came from and what symptoms to watch out for.

COVID-19 Webinar Recording – AHCA/NCAL

This resource is free and open to AHCA/NCAL members as well as the public. The webinar recording discusses how to prevent the spread of the disease, and there are additional videos on how to recognize and manage an outbreak. AHCA/NCAL are also maintaining an emergency preparedness page for COVID-19.

Coronavirus Toolkit – Argentum

Argentum will continually update this comprehensive site with new information. Currently, they recommend senior living providers take five critical actions:

• Handwash: Remind residents and staff about handwashing best practices.
• Clean: Periodically sanitize major touch points (doorknobs, handrails, phones, etc.) and use effective cleaning products.
• Monitor health: Practice self-care by getting rest, eating nutritious meals and staying away from others with flu-like symptoms. Encourage staff to report any symptoms they or residents have.
• Follow plans: Review your emergency plans and retrain staff as needed.
• Communicate: Find out what to communicate, who to communicate with and how to keep channels open. This includes your local health department and other regulatory agencies as well as your suppliers, vendors and maintenance.

Advice for Calm Preparedness – LeadingAge

Given the understandable confusion and worry that COVID-19 has created, LeadingAge have put together answers to common questions from senior living providers about the disease. There are plenty of best practices for preparing residents and staff.

“Attention Visitors” Sign – AMDA

The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine has created a helpful sign that providers can print and post in their own communities to raise awareness of safety measures. AMDA has also released a guidance letter for evaluating suspected cases and reducing the risk of infection.

Prevention Strategies for Long-Term Care Facilities – CDC

The Centers for Disease Control have created an official response page for senior living providers. They share steps for how to stop the introduction of respiratory germs into your community and for preventing the spread within it.

The CDC have also posted screening criteria that can help you determine if someone might have COVID-19 and what you should do. For the most up-to-date information on the virus, visit the full CDC COVID-19 page.