Editor’s note

Nicole Pretre

Vice President of Development

As we go to press with this latest edition of Live More, we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic. We have also been witnessing and experiencing the protests and anger after the tragic deaths of people of color in our country. The events are widespread, but the impact of the virus and the violence has also been local—impacting our families, residents, and local community.

Here at Cedar Community, the virus continues to impact our visitation guidelines in our healthcare settings. Even as businesses and events slowly begin to open around us, we continue to follow the orders and guidance of federal, state, and local health o cials. Visitors to our skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, except in critical end-of-life circumstances, remain restricted. Our team members are screened before each shift, and we check the vitals of our residents three times a day. We test any resident or team member who shows symptoms of COVID-19, and thankfully to date, we have had only one positive resident and one positive team member, both of whom are fully recovered.

We want to thank all of our team members, residents, families, and the greater community, for your support. Cedar Community continues to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of this pandemic with steadfast dedication, patience, and perseverance. At this writing, I am pleased to share a glimmer of good news—the health department has allowed us to implement plans for socially-distanced activities and dining for residents. We are also working to develop a phased plan to eventually allow for visits and events. We all look forward to the time when we can welcome back our families, friends, and volunteers. Team members and residents alike are eager to see our buildings once again full of the vibrant sights and sounds of activities, laughter and music, chapel services, shared meals, and fellowship. Like any family, members of our Cedar Community family may have had di ering opinions from time to time during these stressful past weeks and months. In the words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever a ects one   Strong ! directly, a ects all indirectly.”

Together, we are a caring, compassionate, and thoughtful community of residents, team members, family members, volunteers, and donors. We will get through this pandemic; we will listen to and learn from one another in patience; we pray for healing, justice, and understanding; and we have faith that we will persist to emerge an even stronger Cedar Community family.

In faith and hope, In faith and hope,

Nicole Pretre

Executive Editor, Live More