1. How are you monitoring your residents’ health? Are residents restricted to their apartments/rooms? If so, what type of 1:1 activities are being provided by staff? How are the meals provided? If residents are not restricted, what group activities are being provided and how are you ensuring social distancing and safety for all residents?
2. What is the community’s procedure in making sure staff and vendors entering the building are healthy? What is your staff’s handwashing protocol? If protective gear is needed, what type of protective gear will the caregivers wear i.e., N95 masks and gloves? What is your supply availability when protective gear runs low?
3. What is your protocol if a resident is symptomatic for COVID-19? If they have memory impairment, how do you assess their health and well-being? What is your policy on the return of a resident to the community should they be hospitalized for something other than COVID-19?
4. Do you have COVID-19 test kits available to you? If you don’t have COVID-19 test kits, do you plan on getting them? If so, when?
5. Have you had any staff test positive for COVID-19? If so, what are your health care practices in keeping the residents and other staff members healthy?
6. What is your cleaning protocol to address COVID-19 and keep the community and the resident’s living areas clean? What is your replenishment plan should cleaning supplies run low?
7. What about client laundry services? What guidelines have you been following? For families who do their loved one’s laundry, when do you recommend that staff take over doing laundry for the resident?
8. If my loved one needs more personal care items such as shampoo/conditioner and body wash, how are families able to know when to purchase these items and where can they be dropped off? If families are not able to provide toiletries, do you have extra supplies to use with residents?
9. What type of schedule do you have for telephone, Facetime, Skype, Zoom or old-fashioned window visit so that I can have a virtual meeting with my loved one? How can I get on that schedule? How long does the virtual visit last? How are you communicating with family members with updates on their loved one’s health and well-being?
10. Are you accepting new residents and if so, what are your requirements to ensure that they are healthy upon move in?
If you need help navigating any of these issues with your loved one’s long term care community, call us at (856) 489-8388. We can help, contact us today.
