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APRIL 16, 2020
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Staying safe at senior housing facilities
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Easter Bunny tours Williston
‘So far we have been really fortunate’ By Jason Starr
(Medicaid-funded) memory care facility, located on Allen Brook Lane, which houses 14 people. At Williston Woods, a 55-plus It was late February when a mobile home park community off coronavirus outbreak at a se- North Williston Road, one case has nior living facility in Washington been confirmed. Williston Woods state raised antennae at Cathedral is unlike Cathedral Square’s othSquare headquarters in South Bur- er properties in that residents live lington. in their own The nonprofit homes with owns and manno indoor ages 24 senior communal living centers spaces. in Chittenden No staff County, three in members Williston. With have testvulnerable poped positive ulations living across any in close quarof Catheters, it enactdral Square’s ed restrictions properties. and ramped “We are up emergency doing our planning before best to keep state and federpeople safe,” al emergencies Bouton said. were declared. “So far we “We were have been ahead of the really fortu-- Deb Bouton state, franknate.” Cathedral Square ly,” Cathedral Last week, Communications Director Square CommuVe r m o n t nications DirecHealth Comtor Deb Bouton missioner Mark Levine confirmed said. “Our staff feels very proud a COVID-19 case at Taft Farm about what we’ve accomplished.” Senior Living Community in WilAt Whitney Hill Homestead on liston, according to a report in Williston Road, where 52 residents Seven Days. Taft Farm does not range in age from 55 to over 100, have communal spaces, other than no cases of COVID-19 have been its mailroom and hallways, said reported. The same is true for Ca- Stephanie Gilbert, president of thedral Square’s only low-income Full Circle Property Management, Observer staff
“Isolation and loneliness is a real concern for our residents. It’s tough for everyone.”
Observer photo by Al Frey
With Williston Fire Chief Ken Morton at the helm of his historic fire truck, the Easter Bunny begins a tour of the Town on Sunday afternoon.
which manages the property. Gilbert said cleaning of those spaces has been increased to daily. Cathedral Square’s response began with more frequent meetings of its Emergency Response Planning Committee. The committee typically meets once a year. Meetings were ramped up to weekly in March, and now to three times per week via video-conference At Whitney Hill and across Cathedral Square’s properties, signs were posted at entrances in early March asking visitors not to enter if they had recently traveled abroad or had a fever or symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Now, only visitors essential to delivering food or health care are being allowed entrance. Managers have also taken the step of removing furniture and roping off communal areas to prevent residents from congregating.
They are also asking staff members to take their temperatures and change into fresh clothes before entering properties. “We can’t force anyone to do anything, but people are complying because they care, and they want to stay healthy,” Bouton said. The emergency response committee has also focused on keeping staff healthy and on the job. Cathedral Square was able to boost staff pay with funds from the recently passed federal stimulus bill, Bouton said, and it has been acquiring personal protective equipment from a variety of sources. Getting full body protective gear was a challenge in March, Bouton said. When full gowns were not available, staff bought dollar store ponchos as a stop-gap. Ski goggles have been donated through Burton, but staff is now equipped with masks and face shields.
“We’ve put in requests for more (personal protective equipment), but for now, we are good,” Bouton said. Cathedral Square has openings for caregivers, but hasn’t lost staff since the pandemic began. “We have staff who are concerned, but they are doing it,” Bouton said. “They are putting on their facemasks and gloves and doing what needs to be done.” With stay-at-home guidelines and visitor restrictions extending over several weeks, the concern about isolation and loneliness — an issue for older residents in normal times — has become more acute. Bouton said Cathedral Square’s existing technology training programs have been helpful. Yoga and mindfulness classes and health maintenance calls have been conducted by video-conference. “Isolation and loneliness is a real concern for our residents,” Bouton said. “It’s tough for everyone.”
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