Dear Residents, Families, and Associates of First Colonial Inn,
As shared yesterday our residents, associates and members of the Genesis Rehab and Silver Strands Salon teams will be participating in a community-wide Point Prevalence Survey (baseline testing for COVID-19) on Tuesday, July 14th from 9a-noon. Due to this testing schedule our typical Pantry delivery will be held on Wednesday next week. The baseline testing results, which we anticipate receiving within a week after testing, combined with guidance from the Virginia Department of Health, the CDC and our support at Kisco Senior Living, will help us to better navigate how we move forward as a community.
While we would like to continue to move forward the focus will continue to remain on the safety and well-being of our residents and associates. Unfortunately, the trend of positive cases in our area is currently on the rise, therefore the current restrictions will stay in place. At this time we do not foresee allowing in-community visits (outside of those deemed Essential Visitors), nor lifting the isolation in place requirement for those residents who are choosing to leave the community on their own in the near future. While I know that some families and residents may not agree with this, at this time the risk is not worth the reward. The safety of the FCI residents and associates is our priority.
Communication will remain a priority as well. Once the results of the testing are received, I will share our statistics and any follow-up if needed. I want to thank you once again for your understanding with the protocols and for taking these steps with us. As a reminder, to sign up for either the Visit Station or a virtual visit please call or email the front desk team at 757-428-2884 or fci.reception@kiscosl.com.
As we navigate through COVID-19, and always, we are committed to providing an excellent experience for our residents. Due to the current restrictions it has obviously been more difficult, than in the past, to gauge how we are doing. We are asking for your assistance in completing a short survey designed to give us feedback on levels of satisfaction with the care and service we provide. Your input will help us in two very important ways: 1. It will help us identify opportunities for improvement, and 2. It will also help us to identify areas in which our staff has achieved excellence in the care and service they deliver. For those residents that have an email address on file you will be receiving the survey electronically, so please be on the lookout for an email from Qualtrics Surveys. Qualtrics is an independent outside source to ensure confidentiality. Please note that the summary report we receive does not include any information that can be linked to individual responses. If you do not have an email on file members of the FCI team will be ensuring that each resident has access to the survey via one of our tablets. The survey will be available from July 13-July 24. We appreciate you participating as we want to continue to strive for excellence, and we need your input so that we can continue to improve in areas that are important to you.
One thing we won’t stop doing is finding ways to make our residents smile and life enjoyable. Below are some “bright spots” from this week:
- The community was decked out in red, white, and blue on the 4th as you can see in the attached pictures. It was a festive day including a visit to each resident by our 4th of July Fairy who delivered some sweet red, white and blue treats to everyone!
- We recently had a former FCI volunteer who has reached out in hopes of developing a Pen Pal program with the FCI residents. This former volunteer, Lynne, shared that as a member of the National Honors Society at First Colonial High School, many, many years ago, she used to volunteer here doing art projects, games or just spending time with residents. She has never forgotten those gratifying moments and would love to be able to reconnect and continue to share some joy in our residents’ lives. If you are interested in becoming a pen pal with Lynne and/or some of her friends/family, please let the Front Desk know so that we can assist in the coordination.
- Everyday we try to find ways to laugh and smile and recently a zucchini squash, believe it or not, had many of us laughing. Pictured below you will see David, our Environmental Services Director, holding a gigantic zucchini that one of our Maintenance Techs, Mike, grew in his garden. We were all at a loss as to who would take it home until we realized that David’s wife, Dot, makes an amazing zucchini bread so he was nominated as you can see by the after picture!
- You know summer is in full swing when Soft Shell Crabs are on the menu! We heard from many residents that they enjoyed the “best Soft Shell Crab Sandwich ever” this past week. And on Tuesday residents were able to enjoy Blackened Ahi Tuna with a Mexican Corn Salsa. Featured this week on Tasty Tuesday will be Prime Rib, a crowd favorite! In addition, the team wanted to try out a Tasty Thursday for fun and will be featuring Peking Duck Breast with a Ginger Glaze. We hope you enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend safely and peacefully. Our continued positive thoughts and prayers for everyone’s good health are with each of you. Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions. We appreciate your questions, feedback, and support.
Sincerely,
Chrissy Driscoll, Executive Director
757-428-2884 (office) 757-292-0182 (cell) christina.driscoll@kiscosl.com