Live Update to Residents-September 3, 2020
Live updates to residents on our in-house TV970 keep us informed and connected on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 p.m. Today’s update featured John Burns, President and CEO; Scott Jonté, Director of Dining; Glendon Kemp, Manager of Security; Maryanna Stufflebeem, Manager Child Development Center; and Lynn McClintock, Director Pastoral Care.
The following updates were shared during the live briefing on TV970.
John Burns
COVID-19 Updates
We have lots of good news! The last area of Parsons Health Center came out of quarantine today. There are currently no areas of our community under quarantine. One resident and one staff member continue to wait for two negative test results to indicate that they have fully recovered from COVID-19. We continue to test residents and staff in Parsons Health Center. So far, this week’s results have come back negative.
We will share all of this week’s results in a memo tomorrow.
There is a lot of news being reported relative to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that states begin planning for vaccine distribution. Residents have asked about the safety of getting both the coronavirus vaccine and influenza vaccine. We do not yet know the answer to this because information about the coronavirus vaccine has not been released to the state or public. While there is no guidance or direction coming from the federal government or private industry, we hope a safe vaccine will be available soon. When we know more, we will share it.
Guidance Updates
As we take precautions and make changes to policies and services, we are closely following the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Virginia Department of Health (VDH). This guidance changes frequently and substantially. The most recent new guidance relates to staff and resident testing requirements. The most recent changes are confusing, complicated and will be expensive to comply with unless our area’s positivity rate drops significantly in the next few weeks. We will share more about this soon.
Live Update Schedule
As of last week, we changed the times for rebroadcasting the Live Updates from hourly to three times per day. If you miss the Live Update on TV970, you can watch it on digital signs or TV971 at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. or watch it on our blog or Facebook.
Scott Jonté
Promenade Carryout
Beginning Tuesday, September 8, there will be a new carryout service from the Promenade. Carryout will be available at lunch and dinner by call ahead ordering ONLY.
• Placing an Order – Please dial ext. 6259 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily for lunch or 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily for dinner. Orders will only be accepted by phone. To ensure safe social distancing and a smooth process, please do not attempt to place an order in person. The attendant will provide you with a pickup time for your order. There are a limited number of reservations for each pickup time.
• Picking Up Your Order – Orders will be picked up in the Promenade Dining Room (seated side) at your designated pickup time. Pickup window times are: Lunch and Midday Dinner – 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., Noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. Dinner – 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. Please arrive no more than five minutes before or after your designated time. Signs will be posted to help guide you to the entrance and exit. A dining staff member will assist with finding your order and hand it to you. Your receipt will be stapled to the bag to allow for a contactless pickup process.
Promenade Delivery
Beginning Tuesday, September 8, delivery services will be available for a fee of $1.50 for lunch or dinner. After Monday, September 7, breakfast delivery will no longer be offered. Please join us in the Promenade for breakfast.
Glendon Kemp
Amazon, FedEx, and UPS Deliveries
Prior to the pandemic, Amazon, FedEx and UPS packages that came after normal business hours were being delivered to the Center and Tower Desks. With the onset of COVID-19, all packages were sent to the loading dock. On Friday, we will return to the pre-pandemic process. During the week, after 4:30 p.m., packages will be sent to the Center and Tower Desks. Homes on the Green and Glebe residents’ packages will be delivered directly to your address. This will allow residents to receive packages in a more timely manner. Packages delivered during normal business hours will continue to go to the loading dock and be dispersed from there.
Grocery Shuttle Service Resumes Tuesday, September 8
The grocery shuttle will operate Monday through Friday, accommodating eight socially distanced residents each day. Please limit trips to once a week. Due to limited capacity on the bus, residents will be required to sign up for grocery trips in advance at the Tower or Center Desks. Residents will be required to wear masks on the bus and while shopping and adhere to social distancing protocols. Residents must bring their Westminster Canterbury ID with them. Transportation will sanitize the bus before and after each trip. The Grocery Shuttle Schedule is available in The Tales.
Deliveries from Family and Friends
Beginning in September, the deliveries from family and friends that formerly took place on Mondays and Fridays from 1-3 p.m. have been reduced to Fridays only. Staff will be available to help with deliveries at that time at the Tower and Center Entrances. You may have groceries delivered to you at other times if you are able to accept the delivery in person.
Other Grocery Options
• Friday deliveries from 1-3 p.m. are a good option for those who cannot board the grocery shuttle.
• Visitors to campus may bring groceries to you.
Food and Grocery Delivery Notice
• Residents may have food or groceries delivered to campus. Please coordinate with the delivery driver to receive your deliveries.
• Delivery drivers may not enter the building.
• Staff are available to help receive deliveries at the Tower and Center Entrances on Fridays from 1-3 p.m.
Maryanna Stufflebeem
Child Development Center
Maryanna shared the latest efforts being made to teach and care for employee and community children. The challenges of the pandemic have given the Child Development Center the chance to become innovators and problem solvers!
Our first job was to learn how to meet all CDC and VDH guidelines while providing childcare to employee children. We kept our children safe and helped them understand and overcome their anxiety. We continued to help children learn. We responded to parent stress and increased demands on family. Child Development Center staff also filled staff shortages and coverage gaps in other departments.
The next challenge was to open the Child Development Center to community families, which happened earlier this summer. Through donor support, Westminster Canterbury Foundation funded the purchase of new learning materials. We created pods to keep children safe but allow them to have fun and learn! Child-sized shelving and furniture are configured so children can see teachers and friends without obstruction. Each pod has family photos, a complete set of learning supplies and wall hangings to provide a comfortable, safe space. Children are excited to have their own mini pods, or “apartments for learning.” It is incredible how effective these pods are – self-contained spaces marked by different colored painters’ tape affixed to the floor, showing where the children can “stay,” play and learn.
We created our own book – A COVID Social Story – that we sent home to families, and we also read to children. The illustrated book talks about children’s fears, challenges and joys related to this unique time that feels so different to them.
Our latest challenge has been to create a Virtual Learning option for employee children whose schools are not open for in-person learning. Thanks to donor support to Westminster Canterbury Foundation, employees with school-aged children have obtained scholarships to help many afford tuition! So far, we have 17 employee children enrolled. Two have started already and 15 will begin next Tuesday. Just yesterday, a parent sent a very kind note that said, “I am very grateful for the care my son has received during the pandemic. It has been a relief to know he is safe with teachers and friends he is comfortable with. I am so thankful I have had this option.”
On behalf of the Child Development Center, thank you to all the children, parents, families, residents and donors for their support. Without you, we would not be able to do what we love and do best: care for and teach our children. We are so excited to begin this new school year – a unique one for sure!
Lynn McClintock
A Sermon for Every Sunday will air on Sunday, September 6, at 4 p.m. on TV 970. The program will feature Rev. Ryan Ahlgrim from First Mennonite Church, Richmond, Virginia. The Scripture text is Matthew 18:15-20.
Lynn shared reflections from “Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted—It’s Why you Feel Awful” by Tara Haelle on August 17, 2020. (Please excuse strong language.)
Key Points:
1. Recognize that this is an unprecedented time. We may not know how to handle it because we’ve never been through anything like this.
2. Important to understand, “ambiguous loss” (when we have multiple , broad losses, we are not sure where to start in processing).
3. Accept that life is different right now.
4. Expect less from yourself. Ease up.
5. Recognize different aspects of grief. Ups and downs, a few steps forward, a few steps back. Comes in waves; is unpredictable.
6. Look for “both-and” rather than, “I’m either fine or awful—no in-between.” “I am struggling, AND I know that there are people who care about me.”
7. Focus on maintaining and strengthening important relationships.
8. Begin slowly building your resilience “bank account.” Putting good deposits in—like adequate sleep, nutrition, exercise, meditation, self-compassion, gratitude, connection, and saying no—will help you be stronger when a wave of struggle hits you again.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer
Gracious and loving God, when our worlds are spinning, help us to pin our trust onto you. When we feel lonely, help us to know that there are many people who are going through what we are experiencing, and that people are here to help us, and that people love us—and that you love us. When we feel overwhelmed, reassure us that feeling overwhelmed is a normal reaction to extreme stress—and that we are human and that we need you. Help us to find bright spots around us and help us to lift up, dwell in, and appreciate those bright spots. Most of all, dear Lord, we pray for your peace and mercy to cover us, so that the trials of this world can be lifted from our shoulders for a bit. Calm our hearts, fill our breath. Help us to place our burdens in your hands, and strengthen us for the road ahead. Amen.