Defining Our “New Normal” As We Continue to Navigate COVID-19

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, our world will never look or feel the same as it once did. As we never expected or anticipated something like this to happen, we have all been forced to learn and adapt as we go.

As we continue to navigate COVID-19, we must work together and stay positive. Defining the “new normal” can help us set realistic expectations for the future and handle new and unique challenges. 

Increasing Focus on Health and Sanitation

If you have ventured into public places, you have seen the added safety and sanitation measures that have been implemented - hand sanitizer stations located throughout buildings, the requirement of facial coverings, and surfaces of shopping baskets and registers wiped down and sanitized frequently. 

Additionally, social distancing, a term we all know well by now, can be seen everywhere. In some businesses, our temperatures are even taken before we are allowed to enter the building.

The health and safety of Vivage residents, their families, and our team members are our number one priority. Our team regularly receives updates on the best practices for preventing and controlling of COVID-19 from reputable organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, among others.

We use these updates to implement additional health and safety measures into all of our communities. These new protocols have become a staple of our “new normal” and include:

• The cancellation of communal dining and group activities.
• Implementing active screenings of residents for fever and respiratory symptoms.
• Reminding residents to practice social distancing and perform frequent hand hygiene.
• Screening all team members at the beginning of their shift for fever and respiratory symptoms.
• Individuals who are [currently] allowed in our communities are provided instructions on hand hygiene, limited surface touching, and use of PPE policy while in a resident’s room.
• Identifying team members that work at multiple communities, actively screening and restricting them appropriately to ensure they do not place individuals in the community at risk for COVID-19.
• Advising [limited] visitors to monitor for signs and symptoms of respiratory infection for at least 14 days after exiting the community. If symptoms occur, they are instructed to immediately notify the community of the date they were in the community, the individuals they were in contact with, and the locations within the community they visited. 

For more information and news on what we are doing to ensure health and safety within our long-term care communities, visit Vivage COVID-19 News.

Embracing Technology That Keeps Us Connected

Because in-person contact with friends and family is limited, it is important that we embrace technology to stay connected and engaged with one another. While you may not be able to interact face-to-face with friends, family, or co-workers, you can still see each other and visit virtually. 

Video calling tools such as FaceTime, Zoom, and Skype have allowed individuals to connect during these unprecedented times. Businesses, schools, and more are using these tools to create a “new normal” until we can safely reunite in the classroom, office, or long-term care community.

In the medical world, technology has been a key element to the “new normal.” Telehealth visits are more commonly used as a way for individuals to receive the care and guidance that they need without having to visit their physician in person. 

Moving Forward

We know every city, state, and business is handling COVID-19 differently, and as cases fluctuate, safety measures may be lifted, but this doesn’t mean we should go back to the “old normal.” We must stay vigilant and continue to take steps that protect ourselves and others, or cases may increase again.

Staying positive and accepting the changes in our world is the only way for us to get through this pandemic together. Safety, health, and wellness remain a top priority within all Vivage communities, and we are working together to establish a new normal. 

Contact Vivage for more information about our communities, services, or COVID-19 protocols.