75 Healthcare Heroes from Park Springs Life Plan Community Go Home 75 Days After Locking-In to Protect Members from COVID-19
ATLANTA, June 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After 75 days locking-in on campus to ensure the safety and well-being of their members through Georgia's sheltering-in-place order, 75 Park Springs Life Plan Community staff members are going home this weekend. On March 30, the independent living and health services staff voluntarily began moving in at the Stone Mountain, Georgia campus. Nurses, food and beverage services, environmental services, plant operations, and administration locked-in with members for months to ensure basic services continued while reducing potential exposure to COVID-19 from outside the community. On Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, the 75 heroes who have put their lives on hold for two-and-a-half months will all head home to their families and loved ones.
"We have an extremely dedicated employee body and I am so honored to work with people who are committed to loving and serving our members in such a selfless way," stated Donna Moore, COO at Isakson Living, which owns and operates Park Springs. "Our decision to lock-in was purely based on the fact that limiting human traffic into Park Springs was the best way to keep COVID-19 off our campus to protect our members and our staff. Over the last 75 days, these 75 heroes have been our mission in action."
Park Springs is entering Phase Two of their response to the novel coronavirus, which includes precautions such as testing and screening all staff, limiting and intensely screening visitors, continuing to provide meal delivery services, doubling-up on existing infection control protocols, practicing social distancing and use of personal protective equipment. Some services which had been temporarily suspended, such as dining room service and limited in-person programming will be available, with heightened safety protocols.
"The health and safety of our members and staff remain our number one priority," continued Moore. "During Phase One, it was vital that we limit traffic to and from Park Springs. Although we are entering Phase Two of our COVID-19 response on June 13, we are constantly evaluating and fine-tuning our plan to stay on top of the most recent developments. After closely monitoring the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and government officials, as well as our own medical advisors, we have come up with our Phase Two response to ensure we are providing the best possible care for our members while also providing the services they are accustomed to."
With a firm belief that social distancing does not mean social isolation, Park Springs implemented innovative programs to engage residents and provide services. In order to avoid the negative effects of isolation and distancing, the staff at Park Springs routinely checked on members' well-being, monitored their nutritional health, and offered engaging programming including museum tours, live Broadway shows, fitness classes and a range of educational options via TouchTown, an in-house TV service.
Relationships are critical in combatting depression and aiding those in memory care. Because Park Springs utilizes the household model of care and took preemptive measures to isolate itself from the greater community – even creating separation between the different areas within the Park Springs campus – the staff was able to continue care as it had before the pandemic. In the skilled nursing and memory care facilities, the staff was able to hug members and hold their hands because, just as with a primary family, they had only been interacting within their designated households.
"We are proud of the actions we have taken to be at the forefront of protecting our staff and members while continuing to provide much-needed services," Moore concluded. "Naturally, we are all happy to be returning to our families. However, it has been such a privilege to serve our members in this capacity and have them become a part of our extended families. None of us will ever forget this experience."
About Park Springs
Park Springs is an award-winning resort-style life plan community offering best-in-class independent living, assisted living, memory care and Medicare-certified skilled nursing on a beautiful 61-acre campus in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Park Springs Memory Care practices the Butterfly Home model of care, providing feelings-focused, emotion-based care to support those suffering with Alzheimer's and dementia. For more information, visit https://www.parksprings.com/.
About Isakson Living
Atlanta-based Isakson Living creates communities that focus on active, independent lifestyles, better health and more control for the members of its communities. At Isakson Living communities, comprehensive healthcare services are linked with wellness programs and health-supporting environments, including Medicare-certified physicians trained in geriatric medicine who can serve as the members' primary care physician, assisted living, memory care, short and long-term skilled nursing care, physical therapy and home care services. For more information, visit https://www.isaksonliving.com/.
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Contact:
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SOURCE Park Springs
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