Dear Residents, Families and Associates of Abbotswood Irving Park:
We completed our first round of “Pooled Saliva” Testing on the Associates this week. As a reminder, the saliva test provides rapid, next day results letting us know if anyone in a given pool is positive. Should we get a positive “hit” in a pool, everyone in that pool will be PCR swab tested. PCR swab tests will identify the positive individual(s) and allow us to put our protocols for positive tests into action. This strategy requires all residents to provide saliva samples 1-2 times/week based on risk level. Residents NOT electing to leave campus will be tested once weekly and those who do leave campus will be tested twice weekly. We are thrilled to announce that the introduction of this pooled testing means that even if a resident leaves campus, there will no longer be a shelter in place requirement! However, we continue to discourage leaving the campus unless it is for emergency or medical purposes. Associates and essential visitors will be tested twice per week similarly to residents who leave campus. Every resident (with the exception of our Elms residents, who will be on weekly PCR/swab testing) has been added to one of our pools for testing purposes.
We sincerely appreciate the great turnout for the Pooled Saliva Testing information sessions held for each Floor in the Guilford Room. We were able to share some valuable information and received some great feedback from you. Test Kit Bags have been distributed to all residents in Independent Living and Cottages. Each bag contains a sample vial and instructions. We will start collecting vials at 11 am each Monday. We will leave your paper bag hanging on your door containing a new test vial for testing the following week. This testing does not take the place of the 4 pillars! We must remain committed to mask use, social distance, hand hygiene and daily health screening.
Indoor Visitation starts Monday October 12.
- Assisted Living: Guest Visit station has been set up in the Library. Please call Verraspring directly for scheduling availability
- Memory Care: Guest Visit stations have been set up in the Sitting Rooms of the entrance to Lakeside and Parkside. Please call The Elms directly for scheduling availability.
- Independent Living: We have 4 Guest Visit stations set up in the Main Dining Room of Abbotswood. Please call Abbotswood directly to schedule a time (see below).
- Monday – Sunday:
- 9:00a – 9:30a
- 10:00a – 10:30a
- 2:00p – 2:30p
- Monday – Sunday:
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Active Aging Week. Our World Travelers Theme Day was a big success! Thank you to everyone to everyone who came out and enjoyed the festivities. A special “thanks” to the Wellness Dept for a great job with organizing, setting up the event and to Chef Chris and the Culinary Team for the tasty foods from around the world. Pictures have been posted to Facebook so please check them out and “Like” them!
We are slowly starting to phase in re-opening the Dining Room starting Monday October 12 for Independent Living. Flyers have been passed out with information specific to your Floor/Section. As a reminder masks are REQUIRED when entering and leaving the dining room. We will provide a single-use paper bag on each table for you to place your mask in while eating. Plans for re-opening Assisted Living dining will soon follow.
Do you know of an associate at Abbotswood Irving Park that has gone above and beyond to make a difference for you or a loved one? You can recognize them at: https://www.kiscoseniorliving.com/send-a-heartfelt-message-to-our-heroes/ thank a Kisco Hero today!
The strength, unwavering sacrifice, and the level to which communities are coming together through this pandemic has been remarkable and encouraging. Because of this, we will emerge from this much stronger in the future. We are all in this together. In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy, and thank you again for all you are doing in Making a Difference Every Day in the fight to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Allison Pait – Executive Director
William Eubank – Assistant Executive Director