What Will Happen at Assisted Living as State’s Relax Stay-at-Home Orders?

December 28, 2020 by ·

Some states are now relaxing their stay-at-home orders. While Covid 19 has been a serious pandemic, it is affecting seniors more than any other demographic. In fact, the average age of fatalities among people with coronavirus is 75 (Wang, Tang, and Wei). For those at assisted living, what’s going to happen now that states are beginning to loosen their restrictions? 

 

Each assisted living facility is different.

Assisted Living Mobile, AL: Stay at Home Orders

It’s important not to assume they are all operating the same. They are private organizations and will make up their own decisions regarding this and other factors. 

The best thing anyone can do if they have a loved one at assisted living is to contact the facility directly. Ask what kind of protocols, procedures, or restrictions may continue to be in place to protect residents there. 

 

Should you worry about your elderly parent at assisted living? 

If it’s your aging mother or father, know this: it’s okay to worry. There are so many unanswered questions involving COVID-19 and what will happen in the coming months. 

There are experts who claim that the virus is going to come back even worse the second time around, usually in the fall and winter. There are others who state hospitals and doctors have a better handle on how to best treat the coronavirus. 

It’s not easy to make sense of all of this conflicting information, and when you have somebody you care about at assisted living, you want them to be safe. That is a reasonable expectation. 

In most cases, assisted living communities have a pretty good handle on how to best serve and protect their elderly residents. There may certainly be extended precautions that limit exposure to those residents at the facility. 

You may have to go through a screening process. You might have to secure a reservation to come onto the grounds and meet with this aging loved one. 

Accept these measures not with frustration, but with gratitude. These assisted living facilities and the staff who work at them are on the frontlines still. The coronavirus remains a problem for many people, especially those with chronic health issues and the elderly. 

 

How can you help? 

Avoid the temptation to get frustrated with staff at assisted living if you’re unable to get ahold of somebody right away or are being told to wait a little longer to visit. 

Understand that the situation is still serious and it takes time for life to return to normal. It may not return to the same ‘normal’ you knew, but as long as the seniors at assisted living are safe, that’s what should matter most. 

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living Mobile, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017. 

Filed Under: Assisted Living in Mobile AL, Stay-at-Home Orders · Tagged: ,
About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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