Brookside’s Response to COVID-19

As the spread of the coronavirus continues, we are taking quarantine measures to keep our residents and employees safe. Effective immediately, Brookside is implementing the following additional precautions.

We are limiting residents to outside exposure until further notice. We will also be taking residents’ temperatures twice a day and continue to take the temperatures of essential visitors when they enter the building. Employees will receive symptom screenings three times a day, including a temperature check.

For examples of essential visitors, please see below.

The health and well-being of our residents and staff is and always will be our highest priority. We are regularly updating Brookside residents and family members via email, on social media and over the phone. If you have an urgent question, as always, please reach out to us at any time. For media inquiries, please email info@brooksidememorycare.com

*Examples of essential visitors include:

• Family members of residents who are in imminent end-of-life situations; access in these cases will also be restricted to resident rooms only.
• Vendors who provide essential services (pharmacy, food, supplies, maintenance, movers and healthcare providers including hospice and physical therapy)
• Individual private duty aides/companions

The following protocols remain in effect:

• Essential visitors must enter the building through the main entrance
• Vendors delivering packages or supplies at the front entrance must leave items for community staff to deliver to destinations within the building
• When residents return to the community following a hospital stay, we will request negative test results for COVID-19 or a note from their physician stating they are infection-free and don’t pose a risk to other residents; otherwise they will be subject to a 14-day quarantine or until they can be cleared by their physician
• Front desk staff are more assertive in asking all essential visitors to wash their hands or utilize available hand sanitizer whenever they enter or exit the community
• Transportation services are for scheduled medical appointments only; we are eliminating all excursions to public gathering spaces including religious services until further notice
• All community events in which external visitors were expected have been cancelled or postponed
• We strongly recommend that residents postpone all upcoming travel. Residents returning to the community following travel will be subject to a 14-day quarantine upon return.
• Frequently disinfecting high-touch areas like doorknobs, elevator buttons, faucets and handrails.
• Increased cleaning of high-traffic common areas such as dining rooms and activity spaces.
• Reinforcing handwashing and infection control training for all employees.
• Providing additional protective equipment and cleaning supplies for personal use.

In addition, essential visitors must be able to answer “no” to the community screening statements:

• You have been diagnosed with, exposed to anyone diagnosed with, COVID-19
• You have reason to believe that you, or someone in your household or someone who you are in close contact with, has been exposed to COVID-19
• You currently have any of the following symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat and/or shortness of breath
• You or anyone in your household has traveled abroad in the last 14 days