Silverado’s COVID-19 Response
OMICRON VARIANT UPDATE: Silverado continues to monitor developments with the spread of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19. Due to high vaccination rates among residents and our mandatory vaccines policy for associates we have exceeded a 97% vaccination rate in Silverado communities. Though breakthrough infections do occur in vaccinated individuals, the symptoms are generally far less severe and greatly reduce the risks of severe illness and hospitalization. We continue to maintain our universal mask requirement within our communities and for Hospice associates in the field, and we have a strict testing protocol in place should it become necessary.
Please contact your local Silverado community or Hospice branch for any questions regarding our protocols.
We are now well into the COVID-19 crisis and would like to take an opportunity to address what Silverado has done, and how we plan to lead the way in caring for those with memory impairing diseases during this pandemic.
Silverado’s culture is built on our clinical expertise and innovative spirit, which allowed us to respond early and rapidly to challenges posed by COVID-19. Throughout this pandemic, we have taken proactive steps to protect our residents, patients, families and associates. In many cases, we adopted protocols that exceeded CDC and local health department recommendations. In other cases, protocols we adopted early eventually became the CDC recommendation.
Here are just a few of the ways we were able to rise to meet these challenges:
Testing Strategy
Silverado was an early adopter of testing, contracting with a private lab to ensure test availability. We established protocols with broad testing parameters to identify possible sources of infection.
Innovation on Operations
Silverado created what we believe were the industry’s first “observation areas” with physical barriers, providing unique engagement areas, dining space and access to the outdoors within all communities, separating suspected and known COVID positive residents from the rest of the community.
Innovative Move-in Protocols
To ease the transition of moving your loved one into a memory care community during the pandemic we have innovated Silverado’s Welcome Neighborhood, where new residents will stay for an appropriate period of time under clinical observation while still benefiting from the unique aspects of our world-class care. Learn more here.
Personal Protective Equipment
We continue to maintain a supply of PPE amid nationwide shortages and, from the start of the pandemic, our infectious disease protocols and use of PPE have consistently met or exceeded CDC recommendations. Despite the significant cost differential compared to surgical masks, we require all associates to wear KN95 masks at all times. We are convinced that in our specialized memory care environment, the KN95 masks provide additional protection against COVID-19 and are absolutely necessary for our associates to be able to love, redirect and give life to our residents
Staff Investment
We made additional sick pay available to all staff, including part-time and per-diem associates, providing peace of mind that they will be able to recover and not worry about losing their income should they test positive and need to quarantine.
Visitation Plans
We are pleased to announce that, based on local municipal rules and guidelines, family visitation with their loved ones is allowed in some areas. Visitation protocols are developed from the best available clinical knowledge, guidance from our local health authorities, and will be focused on the health and wellbeing of our residents. We are happy to the smiles and joy that come with families being reunited after this trying period!
Moving Forward
We recognize the impact isolation has had on many seniors and we are dedicated to helping families with the extreme challenges of caring for a loved one with dementia. Our robust protocols allow our teams to focus on the wellbeing of our existing residents while offering life-changing care to new residents.
COVID-19 will continue to be a concern for society and senior living for the foreseeable future. Our commitment is to change the world by changing the way people with memory impairing diseases receive care. We are dedicated to leading the way as we protect our Silverado communities while nurturing the human spirit of all who live and work with us.
To hear more from Silverado leadership about care during COVID-19 please visit our podcasts & media page.
