COVID-19 Update Effective July 9, 2021

Essential Caregiver (EC) Visitation Requirements

• COVID-19 testing is no longer required however, New Haven will continue screening and documentation of donning and doffing of all PPE, hand hygiene, covering cough and sneeze appropriately prior to becoming an EC.
• Visits are allowed for all residents, including residents who are COVID-19 positive and whom have or have not received the vaccine.
• Staff no longer escort to and from the visitation area or the resident’s room.
• Time frames for visiting are no longer specified but EC must schedule visit to allow time between EC and non-essential caregiver visits for cleaning and disinfecting. EC must sign in with name, date, phone number, time of arrival and departure and resident being visited.
• EC must wear a face mask during entire visit and encourage resident to do so if tolerated. EC may not remove mask for any reason so EC may not eat with resident.
• EC may sit with resident in dining room or other areas of the facility but maintain 6 feet social distancing from all other residents and staff.

Non-Essential Caregiver Visitation Requirements
• These visitors do not have to complete the donning and doffing of PPE documentation.
• May only visit a resident with COVID-19 negative status.
• Must schedule visits with documentation the same as an EC.
• No specified visit length
• No limitations of how many visitors at a time in resident’s room
• Visitor may only visit resident in resident’s room or on the patio.
• Visitor must wear face mask at all times. Visitor may not remove mask to eat or drink.
• Children must wear face mask at all times, if the child is under the age of two then they will have to stay outside for a patio visit
• The definition of end-of-life is expanded to include residents who are near the end of life, receiving hospice services, or whose prognosis does not indicate recovery. If an Assisted Living facility has offered the COVID-19 vaccine to residents and staff:
• A plexiglass barrier or booth is no longer required for indoor visitation.
• A resident may choose to have close or personal contact with their visitor.
• Two essential caregivers may visit a resident at the same time. Communal dining and social activities are allowed. Resident’s rooms and/or commons areas must be disinfected in between visits by facility staff.

ALL VISITOR AND ESSENTIAL CAREGIVER VISITS MAY BE CANCELED IF THE VISITOR FAILS TO COMPLY WITH FACILITY POLICIES
If your loved one (resident) has not had the COVID-19 vaccine or has refused, resident or POA will be required to read and sign the Vaccine Benefits Acknowledgement form with the Administrator or Wellness Director prior to your scheduled visit. Per Health and Human Services our facility must offer the vaccine. “Offer” means to administer, arrange, or give information about the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, our facility is not administering the vaccine. Thank you all for your support and understanding over this last year. With your help and compliance, we will continue to keep our residents and your loved ones safe and healthy. Please feel free to contact me, your administrator or wellness director for further questions.

Tessa Wilson, DOO
tessa@newhavenassistedliving.com
325-450-0049

COVID-19 Update Effective March 24, 2021

COVID-19 Assisted Living Facility rule changes issued by Texas Health and Human Services effective March 24,2021. Since New Haven has conducted the COVID-19 vaccine clinics in all 11 of our facilities, we are able to expand our visitation regardless of all residents receiving the vaccine or not.

Essential Caregiver (EC) Visitation
• COVID-19 testing is no longer required but will continue screening and documentation of donning and doffing of all PPE, hand hygiene, covering cough and sneeze appropriately prior to becoming an EC.
• Visits are allowed for all residents, including residents who are COVID-19 positive and whom have or have not received the vaccine.
• Staff no longer escort to and from the visitation area or the resident’s room.
• Time frames for visiting are no longer specified but EC must schedule visit to allow time between EC and non-essential caregiver visits for cleaning and disinfecting. EC must sign in with name, date, phone number, time of arrival and departure and resident being visited.
• EC must wear a face mask during entire visit and encourage resident to do so if tolerated. EC may not remove mask for any reason so EC may not eat with resident.
• EC may sit with resident in dining room or other areas of the facility but maintain 6ft social distancing from all other residents and staff.

Non-Essential Caregiver Visitation
• These visitors do not have to complete the donning and doffing of PPE documentation.
• May only visit a resident with COVID-19 negative status.
• Must schedule visits with documentation the same as an EC.
• No specified visit length, though we will limit to allow ample time between visits for cleaning and disinfecting.
• No more than three visitors at a time in resident’s room to maintain 6ft social distancing though resident may choose to have close or personal contact with their visitor.
• Visitor may only visit resident in resident’s room or on the patio.
• Visitor must wear face mask at all times. Visitor may not remove mask to eat or drink.
• Children must wear face mask at all times, if unable then child will not be allowed in the facility.

End-of-Life Visitation
• The definition of end-of-life is expanded to include residents who are near the end of life, receiving hospice services, or whose prognosis does not indicate recovery.

If an ALF has offered the COVID-19 vaccine to residents and staff:
• A plexiglass barrier or booth is no longer required for indoor visitation.
• A resident may choose to have close or personal contact with their visitor.
• Two essential caregivers may visit a resident at the same time.

Communal dining and social activities are allowed, but residents must maintain 6ft social distancing.

Resident’s rooms and/or commons areas must be disinfected in between visits by facility staff.

Effective 4/14/21-Residents that have gone overnight no longer have to quarantine upon return to the facility if the resident DID NOT have prolonged Close Contact with someone with a COVID-19 infection.

ALL VISITOR AND ESSENTIAL CAREGIVER VISITS MAY BE CANCELED IF THE VISITOR FAILS TO COMPLY WITH FACILITY POLICIES.

If resident has not had the COVID-19 vaccine or has refused, resident or POA will be required to read and sign the Vaccine Benefits Acknowledgement form with the Administrator or Wellness Director present prior to scheduled family visit. Per Health and Human Services our facility must offer the vaccine. “Offer” means to administer, arrange, or give information about the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently our facility is not administering the vaccine but hope to have the ability to do so in the future.

New Haven: Senior living received vaccine first creates the safest environment for seniors.

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 2, 2021) New Haven Assisted Living, with 10 assisted living and memory care communities throughout Texas, looks forward to the long-term protection COVID-19 vaccines will provide residents and staff, offering a peace of mind for families and everyone at New Haven.
Being one of the first senior living communities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, New Haven residents can rest easily knowing they are living in the VERY safest place for seniors in the foreseeable future.
New Haven is confident the COVID-19 vaccine will transform the healthcare industry and continue to provide a safe place for all current and future residents to call home. Our teams will continue to maintain safety protocols currently in place to help protect our residents, staff, and families, including appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), on-going community testing, social distancing, and specialized daily cleaning.

“Unfortunately, many seniors still living at home wait for access to the vaccine, which could be weeks to months away. While waiting, they will continue to be at far greater risk than seniors living in one of our communities, not just regarding their emotional and mental health, but to their physical health as well. We are fortunate to have the ability to provide close to 600 COVID-19 vaccines to residents and staff across 10 of our New Haven communities,” says Holli Hasserodt, Regional Vice President.

Throughout this pandemic, New Haven has focused not just on safety but on maintaining community-style living that is vibrant for the residents by providing daily opportunities for social engagement, exercise, and an enhanced dining program. New Haven provides a wide range of benefits, from 24/7 care to give the residents the ability to interact with people daily, allowing for a social life.

New Haven Dementia Care serves seniors with dementia, offering specialized memory care programs where they’ve seen significant benefits from the residents being able to engage and socialize versus the alternative — being at home alone, isolated, and at potential risk of depression and loneliness.

“At New Haven, we understand families have concerns around placing their loved one in a senior living during this pandemic. I see it as one of the safest options for our seniors. We continue to excel in all 10 of our communities by providing vaccines for our staff and residents, new and old. Metaphorically, we are an island of safety in a sea of COVID-19,” says Justin Yarmark, New Haven’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Public Announcement COVID-19

December 23, 2020

New Haven residents and team members are among the first to take advantage of the federal plan prioritizing long-term care residents and staff. New Haven, includes memory care, assisted living and staff in every one of our communities — at no cost to them. Long-term care residents will also be in one of the first waves of vaccination recipients as directed by state guidelines.

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are being administered within New Haven through our distribution partner, Omnicare, a CVS Health subsidiary. Residents and team members in 9 of our New Haven Texas communities will receive COVID-19 vaccinations starting December 30^th through January.

“Our residents and frontline caregivers are among the most vulnerable to this pandemic,” says Tessa Wilson, Director of Operations. “We are making every effort to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to our team members and residents as soon as our distribution partner, CVS, is ready.”

The vaccine requires two doses as this is a booster vaccine given three weeks apart. Tessa Wilson has scheduled vaccine clinics in every New Haven community and CVS will have pharmacist administering the required two doses to each resident and staff that elect to accept the vaccine.

New Haven is confident the COVID-19 vaccine will transform the healthcare industry and continue to provide a safe place for our residents and future residents to call home.  Our teams will continue maintaining all the safety protocols currently in place to help protect our residents, staff and families, including the appropriate use of personal protective equipment, ongoing community testing, social distancing and specialized cleaning. It is our ongoing goal to keep our residents, staff, and families healthy, happy and safe.

New Haven is confident that our daily health and wellness protocols along with being one of the first recipients in long-term care facilities to receive vaccines makes our communities one of the safest places for seniors.  COVID-19 has not stopped families from needing support for all other chronic health conditions they face and understand the stress from trying to provide care at home or needing a safe place.  Our team is working 24/7 to ensure families feel confident with their decision to move their loved one to New Haven Assisted Living and Dementia Care. We encourage you to continue referring your clients, patients and loved ones to New Haven. If you have a loved one, we can assist with, please reach out to us at (866) 259-3297 or visit our website. You can also stay connected with us through our Facebook page.

November 24, 2020

With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing I know how difficult and scary it can be to take the next step of transitioning a loved one into an assisted living facility with the unknown in front of us. 

I want to assure you that New Haven is taking every necessary precaution to ensure the safety of our current and future residents. We continue to implement all federal, state, and local infection prevention measures. There are black and white state guidelines as well as some grey areas. Due to our small communities, we are able to set some of our own guidelines in the grey areas. Texas Health and Human Services (THHS) allows up to two essential caregivers per resident after completing state required testing and consents. As important as it is for the well-being of our residents to have contact with their families/friends, this can also increase the risk of bringing COVID-19 into our facility. I have limited up to three total essential caregivers in the facility at one time. A pre negative COVID-19 test must be obtained prior to allowing an essential caregiver into our community. In addition if the essential caregiver does not follow the same infection control guidelines outside of the facility as we demand while inside the facility, the essential caregiver will be requested to obtain an additional COVID-19 test before allowing back into the facility. We continue to perform COVID-19 temperature checks with a questionnaire a minimum of two times daily for residents and at the start of the shift for all employees. Sanitation to the facility a minimum of three times daily continues as set forth back in March using hospital grade solutions. We are encouraging families to not take residents out of the facility to limit their contact outside of our facility.

We have been incredibly fortunate to have less than 10 resident/staff infected with COVID-19 throughout our ten locations. 

We will continue to take every precaution as part of our commitment to keep our current and future residents safe and healthy through these trying times. 

Thank you

Tessa Wilson, Director of Operations and Clinical

325-450-0049

tessa@newhavenassistedliving.com

COVID-19 Updated Protocols and Procedures

October 21, 2020 Update

Dear New Haven Families,

I would like to update you all on the new protocols and procedures updated by Texas Health and Human Services (THHSC) effective October 21, 2020 and in addition share how we will be conducting Holiday festivities as they are quickly approaching.

We will continue to have scheduled outdoor patio visits with the change of now only being able to allow two visitors at a time with the individual resident. We will continue social distancing and wearing a face mask. Face shields may be worn in addition to a face mask, but not in exchange of a face mask.
We are now allowing communal dining and activities for residents only and do not have a restriction on the number of residents in one room such as dining, living or day rooms, but will continue social distancing.
Chaplains are allowed in as they are considered essential visits so long as they pass the COVID-19 screening/questionnaire.
Entertainers are no longer allowed at this time. Previously they were allowed out doors.
If a resident leaves the facility for an overnight visit outside of a medical center, they must quarantine for 14 days regardless of where they visited.
If a resident leaves the facility for any reason and did not follow infection control policies, has been around an individual with unknown COVID-19 or positive COVID-19, that resident will be quarantined for 14 days.
I have distributed the plexi glass to all communities and will send approval for indoor plexi glass visits to HHSC no later than Nov,6 in hopes to start these visits on Nov, 9. When these visits start, only one visitor will be allowed at a time. If you have two visitors, you will need to schedule back to back visits with resident still only allowing one visitor at a time. Remember, all visits indoor and outdoor must be scheduled with the Administrator or Wellness Director. We will continue the same screening as we are currently doing and of course face mask must be worn.

Holiday Restrictions

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, our team has become quite creative with keeping our loved ones busy and entertained. We all know how important it is to make New Haven feel like home from the day your loved ones moves in. Although we will decorate and have a multitude of activities for the holidays to keep our residents in the spirit of the season, we know it will not be the same without the flow of our loving families able to join us. As of now, we are restricted to have holiday parties involving our families, but will have our Holiday meals for the residents as we have done in the past. If you would like to take your loved one home on Thanksgiving or Christmas, we will not restrict you from doing so. With that being said, we expect you to follow the CDC guidelines to keep our resident safe and refraining from bringing the virus into our community. As noted above, if infection control policy is not followed while outside of the community, our resident will have to quarantined for 14 days.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful families within our communities, and this will be as difficult for all of us to not see all of you as it will be for you to not see your loved one.

I will continue to keep you all updated as I receive information.

Please feel free to contact your Administrator or myself if you have any further questions.

Tessa Wilson

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND CLINICAL

(325) 450-0049

Email: tessa@newhavenassistedliving.com

Coronavirus August 7th Update

As many of you are aware, Govt. Abbott released an update on 8/6/2020 in regard to opening up our facilities. I want to share a few of the specifics that I do know as of today 8/7/2020 as many of you have reached out with questions. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announced limited visitation rules for Assisted Living Facilities. We will be required to enhance emergency rules requiring additional action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as this continues to be a rapidly evolving situation and are constantly assessing what actions are necessary to keep our residents and staff safe in our facilities. Our goal is the reunite our residents with their families and friends. 

As we know the access to family and loved ones is an important part of every resident’s health and well-being we also recognize the need to balance the emotional and physical health impacts of isolation against serious dangers that COVID poses to our vulnerable residents. 

Although visitors are not allowed in at this time, I will be working diligently over the next several days to prepare for visitation. There are several items I need to have in place per HHSC that are required in advance to assure our residents, families and staff remain safe. My hope is that by mid next week you will all be able to see your loved one at some point. 

For the health and safety of our facility residents and staff, public visitation will be limited to outdoor visits only. Physical contact between residents and visitors will not permitted. Additional conditions we will be required to conduct during outdoor visitation include:

• No confirmed positive COVID-19 case in staff in the last 14 days.
• No active positive case in residents
• Adequate infection control procedures
• Facility staff MAY be required to test weekly
• 6ft social distancing between resident and family member
• Resident and family member must wear mask at all times

Further information will be sent out next week as I receive information additional information from HHSC

I want to thank all of you for your patience, love and support during this unforeseen pandemic. It will be a joyous day for us all to allow our families to return and especially the day you all get to wrap your arms around yours and our precious residents. 

Tessa Wilson 

Director of Operations

Coronavirus Preparedness

UPDATED: July 15, 2020

Read our latest news update in regard to the steps we are taking at New Haven Assisted Living & Dementia Care.

New Haven Prepared for Senior Safety During the Corona Outbreak

We have spoken with several families considering senior living options during the Corona outbreak. The primary reason driving their research is that senior living provides a safe and secure home for their loved ones. In addition, senior living offers delicious meals, assistance with daily living and activities to keep our residents active and engaged. At New Haven, our highly trained staff is caring for your loved one 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that you can manage your busy household without the added stress of being a full-time caregiver.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) now offers daily and weekly guidance to senior living communities on best practices in an emergency giving us the resources to respond quickly to concerns and to keep our residents safe.

Three reasons you might consider New Haven for your loved ones during this time of uncertainty are:

• Safety and security at New Haven communities– While most people struggle to find hand sanitizer, toiletries, groceries and medications, New Haven communities are well stocked with such items.
• Staying connected during social distancing – Our communities have the capability to stay connected with Facetime, Skype, Zoom, and old fashion phone calls. We also encourage window-side visits, pen-and-paper letters, and goodie bags dropped off at our front door. Our team is cautious yet creative with our Life Enrichment programs, offering fun and safe daily activities to keep our residents mentally and physically engaged, limiting isolation to prevent depression.
• Daily cleaning and sanitizing to keep residents safe – Our communities have upgraded cleaning supplies to hospital grade solutions and we sanitize and wipe down the entire building repeatedly throughout the day. Our communities are supplied with hand sanitizer stations, masks and gloves and have increased hand washing in order to protect everyone in our community from the coronavirus.

We are confident that New Haven communities are the safe and secure homes where your loved one will thrive. Let us calm your fears about making the decision to move your loved one in this uncertain time.  Come experience the New Haven resident-centered environment that our communities offer, so that your loved one feels secure and enjoys all the comforts of home.

How are we Prepared for Coronavirus (COVID-19) at New Haven Assisted Living and Dementia Care?

Overview of protocols:
Summary of Changes per Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

• Restricted all visitation except for compassionate care such as end of life situations.
  • Restricted all volunteers and non-essential healthcare personnel (HCP), including non-essential healthcare personnel.
  • Canceled all group activities outside of the community and communal dining.
  • Implemented active screening of residents and health care professionals for fever and respiratory symptoms.
  • Employees with a temperature of 100.0 or greater will be sent home.
  • Residents are getting screened twice a day and anyone with a temp of 100.0 or greater will be quarantined to their room as well as contacting the local health department for protocols
  • Enhanced disinfection protocols and increased cleaning schedules
  • Daily communication with the CDC and management team for new updates

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the current visitation policy?

  Non-Essential Caregiver Visitation Requirements
  • These visitors do not have to complete the donning and doffing of PPE documentation.
  • May only visit a resident with COVID-19 negative status.
  • Must schedule visits with documentation the same as an EC.
  • No specified visit length
  • No limitations of how many visitors at a time in resident’s room
  • Visitor may only visit resident in resident’s room or on the patio.
  • Visitor must wear face mask at all times. Visitor may not remove mask to eat or drink.
  • Children must wear face mask at all times, if the child is under the age of two then they will have to stay outside for a patio visit

Essential Caregiver (EC) Visitation Requirements

• Visits are allowed for all residents, including residents who are COVID-19 positive and whom have or have not received the vaccine.
• Staff no longer escort to and from the visitation area or the resident’s room.
• Time frames for visiting are no longer specified but EC must schedule visit to allow time between EC and non-essential caregiver visits for cleaning and disinfecting. EC must sign in with name, date, phone number, time of arrival and departure and resident being visited.
• EC must wear a face mask during entire visit and encourage resident to do so if tolerated. EC may not remove mask for any reason so EC may not eat with resident.
• EC may sit with resident in dining room or other areas of the facility but maintain 6 feet social distancing from all other residents and staff.

• Is New Haven having any staffing concerns?

  At this time, New Haven has adequate staffing for our communities, although this could change at any moment. We have adjusted our schedules for our staff to 12-hour shifts to minimize the amount of new traffic coming in and out of the community each day. In order to prepare for staff shortages, our Administrative team will continue to hire staff. We are so grateful for our current staff that continue to show unlimited love and compassion to our residents. We have also reached out to local staffing agencies if we get to a point that we no longer have applications for new hires coming in or if we have several staff out.

• Is New Haven hiring?

  Yes, we are taking applications. Upon hiring we will screen prior to entry in each of our communities.

• Is New Haven accepting new move ins?

  Yes, we are still taking new move ins. Each new admission will go through a screening upon arrival

• Is my loved one safe?

  Yes, the safety and well-being of your loved one is our number one priority. Flu and other infectious diseases have always created significant risks for the elderly. Due to this, New Haven is fully equipped with the proper supplies needed.

• Are the residents allowed to leave New Haven?

  We are strongly discouraging any of our residents to leave the community due to the increased risk of getting exposed. However, if a resident chooses to leave the community, they will be screened upon returning

• What if COVID-19 is reported at New Haven?

  If New Haven has a case of COVID-19 we will notify all residents and family members immediately. The infected resident will be quarantined for 14 days. We will also follow all CDC and Health Department guidelines. All communities have personal protective equipment ready and available for use.

• What is New Haven doing to prevent your employees from bringing in COVID-19?

  All employees are screened prior to entering the community. We recommend to all of our employees to avoid as much social interaction outside of work as possible.

• How is New Haven monitoring residents for signs of COVID-19?

  New Haven is monitoring residents for any physical changes. If signs or symptoms exist, the resident will have their temperature taken 3 times a day and at every shift change.

• Can medical health care professionals visit residents at New Haven?

  New Haven is only allowing essential health care professionals in the community and will undergo proper screenings prior to entry by completing a COVID-19 signs and symptom questionnaire, taking their temperature, applying face mask and proper sanitizing procedures. At this time, we are still allowing Hospice to come into the community to provide care but have minimized those visits to twice a week.

• Are routine medical appointments going to continue?

  New Haven will coordinate with the resident, family, and provider, to determine what the best option will be. We do have telecommunication options for residents to connect with their provider.

• Can I still bring supplies and care packages to my loved one?

  Yes, please notify New Haven when you would like to bring packages or any supplies. Packages are to be delivered to the front door and labeled with the resident’s name. Each package will be sanitized before being delivered to the resident to prevent any spreading of any possible contamination.

• If I am currently setting up medications for my loved one, do I continue to do so?

  Yes, you can continue to deliver medications to the front door, and we will sanitize the medications as they come into the community.

• Does New Haven have the supplies to support my loved one’s needs during this time?

  Yes, New Haven has vendors that are continuing to meet the needs for our residents. We have a TENA incontinence program in place so we can supply all incontinence products. If this is something that you are interested in, please contact your Administrator and we will be happy to get your loved one started on the TENA program.

• Is New Haven changing the chemicals used for cleaning to help with COVID-19?

  Yes, New Haven has increased our cleaning supplies to a hospital grade solution that is 100% effective against COVID-19.

• Where can I access the most recent updates around New Haven’s response to COVID-19?

  Please visit our website or our Facebook page as we are posting updates daily around any changes with the response to COVID-19.

New Haven is offering virtual tours at each of our facilities and video conferences to answer all of your questions. Stay updated on the precautions that New Haven community is taking in our recent news channels.