Dear Residents, Families, Caregivers and Friends:
Our way of life right now is not what any of us want it to be. It helps to remind ourselves that this is temporary. There will be a day when we will once again be able to enjoy the outings, activities and pastimes we love. We don’t know that date yet, but it will come. Here are this week’s updates:
HERE AT CEDAR LANE:
- As of today, there are no known cases of COVID-19 at Cedar Lane Senior Living Community. Please read over the following bullets to help protect yourself as total cases continue to grow.
- If you have a caregiver who comes to visit, you should have received an informational sheet with specific guidance for slowing the spread of COVID-19. Caregivers will also receive a copy when they check in at Reception.
- Residents are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings (fabric masks, bandanas, scarves) when entering or leaving the building, while in public spaces, including the laundry rooms and gathering their mail. We appreciate your cooperation with this request.
- Face coverings are required for all Cedar Lane staff and visiting caregivers.
- To protect yourself against this deadly virus, avoid touching door handles, elevator buttons and chair arms in the public areas at Cedar Lane. Use your sleeve, a tissue or a paper towel instead.
- Wash your hands frequently, especially after returning to your apartment from an essential outing, the laundry room, Reception or from taking a walk outside.
- Routinely disinfect the surfaces in your apartment that you touch often.
- Emergency maintenance requests like flooding, power outages, and lack of heat or safety issues with your emergency pull cord, smoke detector or sprinkler will be handled promptly. With limited staff members on site, we are unable to respond to routine work orders or new calls for housekeeping services during this health emergency. We will continue to do our best to fill contracted housekeeping and laundry services.
- ALWAYS practice social distancing by maintaining at least six feet between you and others. This includes the elevators, laundry rooms, and smoking gazebo. To be extra safe, keep the length of a three-seat sofa between you and other people. Essentially, you want to avoid getting close enough to somebody that you could be exchanging air and droplets with them.
- Other communities have closed all of their gathering spaces including lounges during this mass health emergency. At Cedar Lane, some of our common areas don’t have doors, making them difficult to close off; we are relying on you to avoid these areas.
- Activities Coordinator Tonya Tyer will begin putting recorded versions of these weekly updates on the in-house movie channel 67.
- Cedar Lane welcomed a new Service Coordinator, Crystal King, to the team. Crystal is a Coast Guard veteran with experience in service coordination for families and children, and comes to Cedar Lane from Asbury Solomons, where she was a security supervisor. Crystal also volunteers as a first responder with the Valley Lee Rescue Squad. She will be training from home for the time being and looks forward to meeting everyone soon.
- Do you sew? Would you like to donate masks for your fellow residents? Please let Wanda Fenwick know at 301-475-8966, extension 24. We can provide a pattern for you.
- Send us your selfies to show how you’re passing the time at home and we will put them on channel 2. Email your selfies to Jen Bruckler – [email protected]. Look for staff selfies coming soon!
IN ST. MARY’S COUNTY:
- Governor Hogan continues to direct all Maryland residents to stay at home except for essential trips to the pharmacy, to seek medical care or to purchase groceries or supplies.
- Consider if you REALLY need to leave the building, even for the essentials. McKay’s, Cedar Lane Pharmacy and CVS will all deliver to you here at Cedar Lane.
- The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has issued a public health directive that requires face coverings to be worn when visiting any store or riding public transportation. Fabric facemasks including bandanas and scarves are acceptable.
- The SMCHD also limits riding the STS bus system to essential trips to seek medical care, shop for groceries or supplies or visit the pharmacy for necessary medications. STS is limiting the number of riders and daily trips to reduce exposure risks to COVID-19.
- Governor Hogan states that no Marylander should be traveling outside of the state unless such travel is absolutely necessary. Those who have traveled outside of the state should self-quarantine for 14 days. If possible, avoid areas of the State with a high concentration of confirmed cases of COVID-19.
IN NATIONAL NEWS:
- The first stimulus payments have already started to arrive. Those who file taxes & use direct deposit for their refunds started receiving payments this week. Social Security and SSI recipients who did not file a tax return for 2018 or 2019 can expect their stimulus payments around the end of April. Payments will be direct deposited into your account or deposited onto your direct debit cards (whichever way you receive your monthly social security or SSI payments).
- The Constitution mandates that our country conduct a count of its population once every 10 years. The 2020 Census is happening now and the results help determine how much support our community receives. You can complete your questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail.
Contact Kirk Turner, Service Coordinator, for more information about stimulus payments or the 2020 Census. Kirk can be reached at 301-475-8966 ext. 14
Sincerely,
Beverly A. Stickles
President & CEO
P.S. If this situation has caused some anxiety for you or a loved one, help is just a call away. Call 2-1-1 to speak with a live, highly trained service professional in our area. All calls are confidential.