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Communicaton Update to Caregiver Staff – 4/15/20

Dear Personal Care Employees:

We are in the thick of this crisis and are so grateful for your courage and calm as we meet our mission to deliver the highest quality of care possible to older adults, and keeping you safe and strong. Thank you for your faithfulness in saying yes and showing up to work on time and ready to provide care to others who are lonely and afraid

We have had two clients that have tested positive for COVID-19.  Neither resident is receiving care from Personal Care at this time. All employees who were exposed to these clients were all tested for Covid-19. We are relieved to report that all employees tested negative. Each of these caregivers was wearing their masks while delivering care. Your mask is important and wearing it offers protection for both you and your clients. Please wear your masks, this is not optional. If any client is suspected of having COVID and requires testing that you work with you will be immediately notified. King’s Bridge, The Holbrook Decatur, Clairmont Place and Lenbrook are the only buildings we work in with confirmed positive cases. Canterbury Court had a positive case and we are happy to report this person has made a full recovery and tested negative (three times!)

Communities that we provide care in have asked that we not send staff in that are working in multiple communities. Please notify us and let us know about the other jobs that you work.

All employees are encouraged to practice safe social distancing, defined as maintaining six-feet of distance between yourself and another person. We cannot control the actions of others, but we can work hard to protect ourselves and our clients. Here are some tips I want to reiterate:

· Do not congregate with other staff or clients when working in facilities. Maintain 6-feet of physical space at all times if possible.

· Do not take your client into communal areas to sit and visit

· Make sure that your clients are wearing masks when they leave their homes

· If someone approaches you, or your client, without maintaining six-feet of distance please create space. Not everyone is able to remember to physically distance themselves.

· If your client has a visitor that comes please make sure that both the visitor and client are wearing mask and visit outside with at least six feet of distance. We are strongly encouraging visits to take place remotely via WhatsApp, FaceTime, etc.

· Push wheelchairs at a distance that is farther away than normal

· Avoid using elevators with more than two people in them

· Practice physical distancing outside of work; be cautious with errands and wear your mask at all times when in public.

· Use hand sanitizer before and after touching anything in public, or touch with your elbows, using a paper towel or wipe, etc.

· Avoid setting your phone down in public places. Disinfect your phone frequently throughout the day, removing the case to do so

· We encourage you to wear gloves while providing patient care but do not wear them outside client communities. Cross contamination happens when people believe gloves make them safe and touch things with gloves that are contaminated. Washing your hands is key. Please be good stewards of glove use.

Remove and launder your uniforms after work. If you need more uniforms please let us know and we will arrange for a safe drop off. Please call us and notify us if you need to wear a clean uniform that does not meet Personal Care’s uniform guidelines.

Please continue to practice safe hand washing techniques. Washing your hands frequently and avoiding touching your face and eyes, or eating with dirty hands is very important in infection control.

If you feel that anyone is practicing unsafe hygiene or social distancing during this crisis, please call the office immediately to alert us. We will be discreet in how we deal with it. It is important for everyone’s safety that we address any concerns that could put others at risk.

This is a difficult time for everyone and we appreciate the ways our community has come together to help support those in need. We will continue to keep you updated as best we can regarding information as we receive it from communities. It is important that you know that a positive case in a community does not mean that you were exposed. If you work someplace with an active COVID outbreak please notify us immediately. Please continue to notify us if you have been exposed to someone with COVID.

We have known for many years that the work we do is essential. You are helping care for an at-risk population during a time of great uncertainty. We appreciate the strength and calmness that you bring to those you help.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions we welcome you to contact us.

Stay safe!

Danielle

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