March 31, 2021
Dear Residents and Family members:
March marks the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no doubt this past year has changed us all. As a community, we continue to adapt to the changing circumstances created by COVID-19 with the health and wellness of our residents, staff, and family members at the forefront.
Now that Spring has arrived I truly feel that brighter days are ahead. I’m excited to share that the DOH has revised their guidance. We no longer need to suspend visitation and small group activities when we have a positive case. Residents are also allowed to leave the community for a visit. If a resident is out of the community for less than 24 hours, there are no testing requirement upon return, however if the visit is longer than 24 hours, the resident must provide a negative COVID test in order to return to the community. In order to ensure all residents are able to receive visits we will still schedule visits by appointment. When visiting your loved one in the community or taking your loved one out, we ask that you wear a mask at all times, social distance and wash your hands frequently. While COVID-19 vaccines have demonstrated high efficacy at preventing severe and symptomatic COVID-19, there is currently limited information on how much the vaccines might reduce transmission, how long protection lasts, and the efficacy of vaccines against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Additionally, some individuals who were previously infected with COVID-19 have been reinfected at a later time.
Vanessa and our Recreation Team continue to come up with activities to keep your loved one engaged. This month our residents have been enjoying the spring weather by taking a walk outside, small group activities – painting classes, card game clubs, Bingo and movies in the media room. We also celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a festive parade through the community and streamed a virtual Seder for Passover. Happy hour continues to be delivered to the resident’s apartments.
We remain incredibly grateful to our residents, staff and family members. I want to wish everyone a Happy Passover and Happy Easter.
Stay Safe & Healthy
Respectfully,
Debra Larosa & The Islandia East Team
• Visitors will be permitted with a scheduled appointment only. Appointments will be taken
by the front desk receptionist
• Visitors will fill out a questionnaire and get temperature taken at the front door
• 2 family members per resident and no more than 20 total visitors at one time
• All visitors should be 16 years of age or older, or accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or
older.
• Visits will be limited to 30 minutes to allow for all residents to enjoy company
• No more than 2 visits per week to allow for all residents to receive visitors
• Visitors will be directed to a designated outdoor (weather permitting) location by a staff
member and will maintain the required 6 foot social distancing throughout the visit. In
In situations where there is inclement weather, the Executive Director will accommodate
visitation in a designated indoor area.
• Visiting hours are as follows: Sunday – Saturday 10am-8pm
• Visitors must wear a mask at all times
**All of the above are subject to change at the discretion of the operator and in accordance with any new local or state guidance provided by NYS Department of Health. Visitation can also be halted at any time if conditions change at the community and they no longer meet Department of Health criteria to maintain visitation. Eblast notifications will be sent out with updates as needed and/or as changes occur.