December 18, 2020

Dear Garden House Residents, Family Members and Responsible Parties,

We hope you can join us today at 2:00 p.m. EST for a COVID-19 Vaccine Informational Webinar. The webinar will feature Rosa Coplon Living Center Medical Director, Dr. John Thurairajah, MD, CMD, who will provide important information and answer common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.
 
Dr. Thurairajah is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine, and has been part of the Rosa Coplon community since 2012. He hosts an informational video series on YouTube, and you may find one of his most recent videos on this subject matter to be helpful:
 
How to Join the Webinar
 
Meeting ID: 821 4934 3338
Passcode: 154331 
Connect by Phone:
Dial by your location
       +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
       +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)
       +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
       +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
       +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
       +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kehUuIbAGh 
 
Can't attend the meeting?
We will be recording the webinar and afterwards it will be available to residents and family members.
 
Disclaimer: The information provided in this webinar is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, and should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.  
Residents have been staying busy here at Garden House! This week's cooking club included delicious peppermint bark and cupcakes - yum! We also tested residents' Bingo skills, and many participated in plenty of safe, socially distant exercise classes.
We're pleased to share that Weinberg Campus has once again partnered with Michael's Floral Design to offer flower bouquets at a reduced rate, should you want to send your loved one a beautiful gift in time for New Year's Eve! You can choose from three different sizes of bouquets:
$10
Plastic bud vase, single rose of choice with filler greens
$20
Vase with small mixed arrangement
$30
Larger size of mixed arrangement in container dish
If you are interested in purchasing a bouquet for a loved one, please contact Michael's Floral Design at 716-322-6810 and tell them you are a family member of a Weinberg Campus resident. All orders must be in by Wednesday, December 23. Flowers will be delivered December 29th and 30th. Supplies are limited, so be sure to get your orders in early!
Safety Guidance on Gatherings & Outings
As a reminder, the following DOH guidance continues to be in place regarding outings that are not medically necessary. This guidance discourages residents from leaving Garden House for gatherings and aims to keep residents and staff safe and healthy as COVID-19 cases continue to be widespread in Erie County.
 
Per the DOH, residents who leave the facility are encouraged to:

  • Limit close contact with others (maintain a physical distance of six feet or more), avoid large gatherings, keep gatherings small, and use technology to engage with others remotely
  • Wear face masks or cloth face coverings
  • Perform frequent hand hygiene
  • Avoid sharing of communal food or drinks 

In addition, the DOH requires that residents who go out or leave the facility:

  • Quarantine or minimize contact with others prior to their return to the facility.
  • Quarantine upon returning to the facility for 14 days.
  • Test negative for COVID-19 within 24 hours prior to their return to the facility.
  • Be tested at least three times during the 14-day quarantine period at the facility, including on the first day (upon return) and the last day that a resident must be quarantined.

Before exiting the building, residents and their family member or responsible party must also comply with the DOH requirement to attest in writing that you:

  1. Are aware of the risks involved with leaving/taking the resident out;
  2. Will follow masking, social distancing, and hand hygiene practices to comply with CDC and DOH directives;
  3. Will notify the facility if the resident becomes ill within one week of leaving the facility;
  4. Will notify the facility if anyone with whom the resident socialized tests positive for COVID-19 or influenza or exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza within 14 days of the resident’s return to the facility;
  5. Will communicate to the facility a return date for the resident in accordance with the facility’s policy; and
  6. Will quarantine or minimize contact (or assist the resident to do so) to the extent safely possible prior to return to the facility.

If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Clark, at cclark@weinbergcampus.org, ext. 2448. We take COVID-19 very seriously and appreciate your understanding.

Visitation Update + New Process
At this time, we have zero positive cases of COVID-19 at Garden House. Our process for scheduling an in-person visit has changed. Online scheduling for visits can now be done using Calendly. Simply click this link (please note the link is brand-new: https://calendly.com/weinbergcampus/ghvisits) and choose your desired appointment date and time from the available options. Follow the question prompts, and then you will be automatically directed to the pre-appointment questionnaire on Survey Monkey. For every visit you schedule, you will need to complete a new form in Survey Monkey.

Be sure to visit the Garden House COVID-19 family page for more details about your visit. If you have any questions, please contact Brennan Costello at bcostello@weinbergcampus.org, or call (716) 639-3311 ext. 2447.

Skype or window visits can also be scheduled by contacting Brennan at the contact info above.

If you would like to receive additional updates about your loved one, please contact Garden House Case Manager, Cindy Clark, at cclark@weinbergcampus.org, ext. 2448.
 
Holiday Gifts for Staff
Year after year we are grateful to receive such wonderful gifts of food from families showing their appreciation to staff. If this is something you planned on doing this year, we thank you in advance, and kindly ask that you please individually wrap food items in light of COVID-19 restrictions. Thank you!
Ways to Celebrate Winter Holidays in 2020
 
The CDC provides guidance on how we can all celebrate the holidays in creative and safe ways. Consider including one or more of these ideas into your holiday celebrations this year.
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Dana Notaro
Administrator, Dosberg Manor & Garden House

(716) 639-3311 ext. 2507
Weinberg Campus | WeinbergCampus.org