COVID-19 Information

To Our Residents, Family Members and Staff:

Update #53 | Dated: 3-26-21

Good Afternoon –

We are excited to follow up on our last communication regarding our plan to continue to unwind our policies and procedures tied to our response to the pandemic. This past week the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) adopted the guidance that was previously released by both the CDC and CMS. This updated guidance for Long Term Care Facilities can be found here.

Based on this updated guidance and due to our successful vaccination program, we are now able to adopt the least restrictive policies as articulated by the DPH for those who are fully vaccinated. That said, this is not a complete return to the pre-pandemic world but is a renewal of what helps make Azalea Estates a unique community.

These updated policies and procedures summarized below (and detailed further here), are meant to relax many of our current policies/procedures while still ensuring we do what we can to keep those most at risk safe. These updated policies put much of the responsibility now on you and your loved ones as opposed to squarely on Azalea Estates. With that, please find a summary of these updates below: 

• Visitation Policies: We are moving from limited visitations to now supported visitations
  • Outdoor visits are still the preferred/safest visitation procedure
  • For those residents and their visitors who are fully vaccinated, visits can begin to take place in a resident’s apartment / cottage as opposed to our designated indoor meeting space. These visits will take place during our normal operating hours from 9am – 5pm, including weekends. We can only support visits during these hours at this time.
  • For those who are still unvaccinated, these visits will occur outdoors or in our designated indoor meeting area.
  • All visitors will continue to be screened prior to their visit; these screens will occur at our front desk. Proof of full vaccination (e.g., CDC vaccination card) should be provided and all visitors will be required to sign in.
• Off campus trips:
  • For vaccinated residents, non-essential or non-medical trips should be limited but are now possible. Families and loved ones of residents who would like to take their loved ones off campus should coordinate with the community.
  • For unvaccinated residents, off-site visits should continue to be limited to essential trips.
  • Azalea Estates will again offer off campus activities for our fully vaccinated residents. These will take place in appropriate settings: outside, small crowds and with the ability to maintain social distancing.

We couldn’t be more excited to have many of you back in our community. That said, if we do experience an outbreak of the virus or the situation changes in Cobb County, we will again have to review our policies and procedures and will likely be forced to return to our more limited posture.

Also, if you have yet to be fully vaccinated, we are planning on hosting an additional vaccine clinic at Sterling Estates of West Cobb on April 9^th. If you are interested in this clinic, please complete the survey found here.

We are looking forward to “turning the page” with each of you to this new and more vibrant chapter at Azalea Estates!

The Azalea Estates Partners and Management Team

To Our Residents, Family Members and Staff:

Update #52 | Dated: 3-12-21

Good Afternoon –

We have been looking forward to writing this letter for quite some time…sure you’re aware that the CDC and the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) have started to update their guidance for those who are fully vaccinated as well as for Long Term Care (LTC) Communities. These policy updates are major milestones, marking the fact that the tide of this pandemic has officially turned, and we are well on our way towards better days. The theme of the updates from both of these organizations is now that there has been such a high degree of vaccine adoption within communities like Azalea Estates and the fact that the vaccine is proving to be so highly effective in keeping people safe, we can begin to ease many of the restrictions that have been in place since the pandemic came onto the scene a year ago.

• CDC’s updated guidance for fully vaccinated individuals can be found here
• CMS’ updated guidance on visitation can be found here

What does this mean for Azalea Estates?

In general, this updated guidance is just catching up with what we have been doing in our communities for months. Due to our track record of helping keep everyone safe, ample supplies of PPE, our progressive policies and procedures, our continued staff trainings, as well as our large number of indoor/outdoor spaces, we have been supporting these types activities way before most other organizations. These activities include essential, outdoor, and indoor visits, small group dining, and small activity / group gatherings to name a few. The fact we have already instituted policies and procedures that allow for these activities continues to highlight how advanced Azalea Estates has been as we have strived to keep our residents and staff safe as well as social.

That said, as we have done throughout the pandemic, we are required to follow the guidance from our local health authorities at both the state and county level. Although the state of Georgia has not updated their policies yet, we are confident that they will do so soon. Meaning, we are still required to follow Governor Kemp’s latest Executive orders issued on February 26^th renewing the state of emergency (currently expires 4/6/21) as well as the shelter in place order for LTC residents (currently expires 3/15/21) (orders can be found here and here). Once Governor Kemp’s guidance changes, we will follow up with those changes and how they impact our communities.

In summary, we are still in a place of status quo as we have been ahead in easing the restrictions the CDC and CMS addressed this week. As we are able to continue to relax additional policies, we will communicate those out to you as soon as possible…we hope and expect to be able to do so in the near future!

Azalea Estates Plan for “Expanding Our Ring of Inoculation”:

When we attained direct provider status for the vaccine last summer, we did so to ensure that our residents and staff had access to the vaccine as early as possible. With that, we were the first senior living community in the state to fully vaccinate our residents and staff. Further, we still remain the only senior living community in the state that is a direct provider of the vaccine.

Once that mission was completed, we went to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) with a plan to continue to offer vaccine to those who need it most. We called this plan our “Expanding Ring of Inoculation” where we wanted to make sure that the loved ones and caretakers of our residents had early access to the vaccine as well. We did this with the hope that this early vaccination effort would lead to a return to “normal” sooner for those we serve in our communities.

In seeing the latest guidance from the CDC and CMS we feel confident that this plan is coming to fruition and will allow our residents and their loved ones/care takers to enjoy the eased restrictions (once they become official) that much earlier.

As of today, we have delivered over 2,500 doses of the Moderna vaccine placing us in the top 7% of the over 1,500 providers in the state of Georgia. We know we still have role to play in trying to end this pandemic as quickly as possible, and we look forward to continuing to do so.

“There are far, far better things ahead than anything we leave behind” – C.S. Lewis

The Azalea Estates Partners and Management Team

Click here to view past updates

What are you doing right now to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

• We have changed our visitor policy. No visitors are permitted in our community until further notice.
  • We will make limited exceptions in extreme or emergency cases. These must be expressly approved by the Executive Director. Anyone entering the community under these circumstances will be screened upon arrival.
  • Only essential health care providers, including home health, private duty, nursing services, physicians, physical therapy, and hospice staff will be granted access to the community once they have completed our entry screening procedures.
    • All of these caretakers will check in with the front desk, screened and will have their temperatures taken.
  • The assisted living building now only has one entrance as all secondary access points have been secured ensuring there is only one point of entry (still ensuring that the community meets all state safety codes).
  • Assisted Living residents are required to remain on community grounds, except for necessary medical care. And our Independent Residents are encouraged to limit their public exposure by staying on community grounds.
  • Deliveries of packages will be made outside the assisted living building and a staff member will accept them.

• We have changed our dining procedures.
  • To avoid close contact during meals, our main dining rooms will be closed for at least the next 2 weeks. Meals will be delivered to each resident moving forward.

• Any resident returning from a necessary medical appointment outside of the community will be required to stay in his/her apartment for 14 days upon their return and will be closely monitored.
• All residents are monitored daily for: fever or any other symptoms of the infection (body aches, dry cough, etc.).
• In following the guidance of our home health partners, all non-essential physical, occupational and speech therapies have been suspended at this time. These changes should also be communicated to you directly by your home health provider. Sterling will work directly with you and your loved one to offer necessary supports until those services resume.
• We have updated our activity plans and calendars to adjust for smaller group (under 10 people at a time) activities, more outdoor events, as well as utilize all available technology in order to ensure our residents remain safe but also engaged.
• We take all staff members’ temperatures 2x every day. If anyone has a fever or has cold-like symptoms, we do not allow them to

What happens if there is a confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus in the community?

• If there is a suspected or confirmed case, we will follow all CDC guidelines and work closely with the state and local departments of health. We continue to monitor all residents and staff members for illness and symptoms. If there are concerning conditions or symptoms to share about your loved one, rest assured that someone on the Sterling Estates team will contact you directly.
  • What this would look like:
  • Residents:
    • Residents must now remain in their apartments until further notice.
    • Residents’ temperatures will be taken twice a day.
    • We will continue to provide in-room meal services.
  • Staff:
    • All staff will wear a mask and gloves while in the community.
    • All companions will wear PPE (gloves, eye protection and mask) while providing care for our residents.
    • Staff members will receive symptom screenings two times a day, including a temperature check.

Will you tell me if there is a case of COVID-19 in our community?

• Yes. If we are made aware of a positive COVID-19 case by someone in your community, we will notify residents and their families.

Are you testing residents and staff for COVID-19?

• We know many of you are interested in making more COVID-19 tests available to members of our community. Local health officials are responsible for determining all COVID-19 testing protocols. We will continue to work with our county and state health departments. If they decide that broad testing is necessary and appropriate in a Sterling Estates community, we will fully support this effort and notify you that this is taking place.

Resident Illness

• How are you checking residents?
  • In assisted living and memory care, we are proactively monitoring the temperatures and symptoms of all residents. Residents in independent living are encouraged to contact the community care team to inquire about the symptoms to be looking for as well as ask about prevention best practices.
• What happens if a resident has symptoms?
  • We will assist and report to EMS any residents with cold-like or flu-like symptoms, including fever of more than 100.4°, coughing, or shortness of breath with contacting their physician for medical care.

Comments & Concerns

• Who do I call if I have a comment, concern, or complaint?
  • The first person you should call is your community’s executive director.
    • Fayetteville: Holly Woods 770-461-0039
    • East Cobb: Ann White 678-946-4445
    • West Cobb: Deana Harris 770-255-7000
  • We will respond to you as quickly as possible, but usually within 24 hours.

Community Entry

• Who is allowed in the community?
  • No visitors are permitted at Sterling Estates of West Cobb until further notice.
• What are your screening procedures for people entering the community?
  • There are no visitors allowed at this time. Our staff and Health care providers entering the community will be asked questions about possible cold-like symptoms, recent travel, and if they have been exposed to a known or suspected case of COVID-19 or work in another health care facility with a positive COVID-19 case. We also take everyone’s temperature to ensure they do not have a fever.
• Why are you closed to visitors?
  • As we monitor the spread of COVID-19 around the country, and understanding that this virus is most dangerous for seniors, we feel that an apartment quarantine is a necessary step toward keeping everyone safe.
• How long will this last?
  • The COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-evolving situation. We will lift the quarantine and restrictions when we feel it is safe to do so, and based on recommendations from agencies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state departments of health.
• What are the exceptions to this policy?
  • We will make limited exceptions in extreme or emergency cases. These must be expressly approved by the community’s executive director. Anyone entering the community under these circumstances will be screened upon arrival.
• Will my private duty caregiver be allowed to enter the community?
  • Yes. Health care providers, including home health, private duty, nursing services, physicians, physical therapy, and hospice staff will be granted access to the community once they have completed our entry screening procedures.
• What if there is an emergency?
  • Emergency medical/fire services personnel are able to enter the community if needed. We will make limited exceptions in extreme or emergency cases for family members. These cases must be expressly approved by the community’s executive director. Anyone entering the community under these circumstances will be screened upon arrival.
• Can I visit with my loved ones outdoors but on the community grounds?
  • Because our communities are under quarantine and outside guests pose a risk of exposure to residents, we ask that you do not have in-person visits.
• Are there other ways that I can get to see my loved ones?
  • The dedicated teams at every community are equipped and ready to help facilitate phone call or even a virtual visit using services such as Apple FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom. We’d also love for you to send videos or other messages through community staff. Call and we will tell you how.
• Can I volunteer to help residents and the community?
  • Thank you for interest in sharing your time and talent with our residents. Because the safety of our residents and staff is our priority, we have placed all communities under quarantine and no visitors are allowed at this time. Please contact us via email our team will coordinate a way for you or your organization to help remotely.
  • We have already received many donated masks (over 200) from family members, staff and friends of the partners. These masks have been deployed for our staff to use along with their surgical masks. Thus allowing us to extend the useful life of our surgical masks.
    • That being said, if anyone else is interested in trying to make cloth masks to donate, instructions from the CDC can be found here. Please reach out directly to the community if you are able to help.

Resident Exit & Reentry

• Are residents allowed to leave?
  • We ask that you remain in the community in the interest of everyone’s safety. If you have an essential medical appointment, please let us know.
• Why are residents not allowed to leave their apartments if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19?
  • If there is a confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus with any of our residents or staff, as an added precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community, residents would be quarantined to their apartments for no less than 14 days since the first day of reported symptoms..
• Why are residents who live in cottages or freestanding homes not allowed into the building?
  • We are not monitoring the comings and goings of residents who live in cottages or freestanding homes. Therefore, we cannot allow them to enter the main community building.
• What happens if someone goes to the hospital and is ready to return to the community?
  • Residents who are returning from the hospital will be screened just like others who enter the community.
  • In following local and federal guidance anyone returning from a hospitalization will be under quarantine in their residence for 14 days.

Deliveries

• How do deliveries work?
  • Deliveries will be made outside the building and a staff member will accept them and take them to residents.
• Can I bring something to a resident?
  • Yes. We will follow our delivery procedure to have a staff member meet you at the entrance to accept your items and take them to the resident.

Personal Needs

• What if I need personal supplies? (Over-the-counter medications, soap, shampoo, etc.)
  • We recommend that a family member bring your items to the front of the community, where a staff member will accept them. We can help you set up an account with online grocery and pharmacy delivery services, such as Instacart, to order essentials.
  • We are also here to help, just let us know if we can pick anything up for you.
• Will the salon remain open?
  • No. The salon inside the community is temporarily closed.

Medical Needs

• How will I get to my doctors’ appointments?
  • We ask that you remain in the community in the interest of everyone’s safety. If you have an essential medical appointment, please let us know. We encourage you to use telemedicine if your physician offers that service.
• Can a family member pick me up for my doctors’ appointments?
  • We ask that you remain in the community in the interest of everyone’s safety. If you have an essential medical appointment, please let us know.
  • We are also here to help, just let us know if we can pick anything up for you.
• If I live in an independent living apartment, how do I pick up my prescriptions and over the counter medicines from the pharmacy?
  • We can help you set up an account with online grocery and pharmacy delivery services, such as Instacart, to order essentials
  • We are also here to help, just let us know if we can pick anything up for you.
• What if I need hospice care?
  • Health care providers, including home health, private duty, nursing services, physicians, physical therapy, and hospice staff will be granted access to the community once they have completed our entry screening procedures.

Dining

• How do meals work?
  • We will deliver all meals, snacks, and beverages to your apartment/cottage.

Staff

• How are staff screened?
  • We take all staff members’ temperatures every day. If anyone has a fever or has cold-like symptoms, we do not allow them to work until they are symptom-free.
  • We also screen all staff by asking the following questions:
    • Have you been out of the country? Which one(s)? ____________________
    • Have you been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 (Corona Virus)
    • Do you have a fever?
    • Have you been coughing?
    • Do you have any unusual muscle aches?
    • Are you experiencing any shortness of breath?
    • Do you have any loss of taste?
    • Where have you been outside of this building in the last 24hrs?

Dining

• To avoid close contact during meals, our main dining rooms will be closed

Community Life

• Our staff is committed to maintaining as much of a normal life in the community as possible with a few temporary exceptions:
  • We have eliminated all group outings.
  • All group gatherings, such as book clubs and religious services, will be hosted by our staff or held via virtual means.
  • Transportation services are limited to necessary medical appointments only.
  • The salon will be closed until further notice.
• We have updated our activity plans and calendars to adjust for smaller group (under 10 people at a time) activities, more outdoor events, as well as utilize all available technology in order to ensure our residents remain safe but also engaged.
  • We continue to offer programming for our residents: from activities that are conducted outside to those in our buildings where there is at least 6 feet of separation (we even have a separation stick we use to remind everyone what 6 feet looks like!). We know how important this type of engagement is to our community.
• We have updated our care plans to include inquiring / assisting calling a loved one in order to help families stay connected.
• We are encouraging the use of more video calling tools (i.e. Facetime) so that both our residents and their loved ones can connect on a more personal level as we take our social distancing procedures to heart. We have even setup Facetime support tables where residents can come, and our staff can assist in setting up calls.
• If you or your loved one needs any additional support on setting up video calls, please reach out to the community directly and we will help coordinate.

Wellness Center

• Moving forward the main wellness center is closed to independent residents.

Cottage Residents:

• We implore all cottage residents to heed this guidance and only leave the campus for essential services (as articulated above).
  1. Essential Services include grocery shopping, medical or pharmacy visits.
  2. With that, we would love to help out on these errands as we are able. Please reach out and schedule with us.
• Moving forward, we ask that you not enter: the main assisted living building, the Hampton building and Stratford building.
  1. Please reach out to both the wellness and activities teams to better define what you can do in your homes.
  2. We can also provide you with personal workout equipment so as to allow you to continue to exercise in your own cottage.
• We ask that you follow applicable social distancing measures when not in your cottage, which includes maintaining a minimum of 6 feet of separation from other people.
• We recommend that you do participate in outdoor activities where the necessary safety precautions have been taken into account, including:
  1. Outdoor exercise classes
  2. Outdoor walking groups
  3. Gardening (where additional personal hygiene stations have been added)
• Coming soon to channel 961 various activities including: wellness classes, movies, guided activities and more

Independent Apartment Residents:

• No visitors are permitted in our community until further notice.
• Limit group gatherings within the building to under 10 people and follow all social distancing guidance.
• Stratford residents should no longer enter the Hampton building and Hampton residents should no longer enter the Stratford building.
  • We will be adding work out equipment to the Stratford building.
• Only leave the campus for essential services (as articulated above).
• We ask that you follow applicable social distancing measures when not in your cottage, which includes maintaining a minimum of 6 feet of separation from other people.
• We recommend that you do participate in outdoor activities where the necessary safety precautions have been taken into account, including:
  1. Outdoor exercise classes
  2. Outdoor walking groups
  3. Gardening (where additional personal hygiene stations have been added)
• Coming soon to channel 961 various activities including: wellness classes, movies, guided activities and more.

Engagement in Memory Care Neighborhoods

Our approach to caring for people living with dementia has not changed in light of COVID-19. We have dementia experts on staff who remain focused on ensuring residents living with dementia are receiving quality care and attention. While this care and attention may look a little different during this time, we are doing our best to keep everyone safe.

Rest assured we will do our best to keep creativity and meaningful moments up and loneliness down!

At Azalea Estates, we focus on giving you proactive and thorough communication. As always, we will update you with any changes to life in the community. If you have any questions, please reach out to your community’s executive director by calling the community directly.

At Azalea Estates, we focus on giving you proactive and thorough communication. As always, we will update you with any changes to life in the community. If you have any questions, please reach out to your community’s executive director by calling the community directly.

Staff Precautions

• Our staff are trained in proper infectious disease precautions and procedures, including the proper use of protective equipment, cleaning, and hand washing. We also provide ongoing training in these areas to keep everyone up-to-date.
• We take all staff members’ temperature every day. If anyone has a fever or has cold-like symptoms, we do not allow them to work until they are symptom-free.
• We ask all staff members who are sick to stay home until they are well.

Support for Staff

We are taking steps to support our staff during this time so that they can focus on their health and on taking care of residents.

• In the event of school closures, we will pay for staff members' child care expenses if needed.
• If a staff member does not have health insurance, we will pay for their costs of visiting a physician or urgent care to be tested and rule out any contagious illness.
• We don't want an empty paid time off (PTO) balance to stand in the way of staff members taking the necessary time off to get well at home if they are sick. If a staff member's PTO balance is empty, we will continue to pay them while sick with a contagious illness.

Staff letters

FAQ on Cares Act: https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-stimulus-package-questions-answers.html