Aegis Living Forms Coronavirus Advisory Council

BELLEVUE, Wash., June 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic reinforces the urgent need to provide leading-edge care for the country's most vulnerable seniors. As one of the nation's most established providers of assisted living and memory care services, Aegis Living recognizes the long-term implications of the virus on the safety, health and wellness of its residents, families and caregivers. The company is taking bold, new steps guided by the latest clinical expertise to keep its residents and staff safe and healthy during this unprecedented health crisis and beyond.

Today, the company announced the creation of the Aegis Living Coronavirus Advisory Council, a group comprised of physicians and medical experts from some of the nation's leading medical and research institutions and representing a core set of disciplines critical to the health of older adults. The Council is launching with seven initial members representing epidemiology, immunology, geriatrics, psychology, naturopathy and more.  

• Charles Bernick, M.D., MPH, University of Washington, UW Medicine 
• Rebecca Conant, M.D., University of California, San Francisco
• Glenn Hammel, Ph.D., Private Practice
• Joseph Pizzorno, ND, Institute for Functional Medicine
• Joshua T. Schiffer, M.D., M.Sc., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center  
• Eric Sievers, M.D., BioAtla
• Becky Su, L.Ac, M.D. (China), Private Practice

For over 20 years, Aegis Living has leveraged clinical expertise to help develop and inform its standards, practices and approaches to exceptional resident care. The new Council will extend this expertise even further.

"Aegis Living has and will continue to lead the industry through this pandemic and into the future based on deep scientific understanding of the virus and the latest best practices for protecting our senior population," said Aegis Living CEO Dwayne Clark. "The coronavirus and its devastating impact on the fragile population we serve has brought into sharp focus the immediate need to evolve how we care for aging adults, keeping them safe while helping them live full lives. The creation of the Coronavirus Advisory Council is a critical part of this effort."

As the world looks ahead beyond the coronavirus pandemic, senior living companies will be a critical component of the health care continuum, a relatively new role for senior living and one that will increasingly require more advanced clinical knowledge, innovation and knowhow.

Aegis will look to researchers to teach the organization about how the virus travels, how it is evolving and where it may be headed next. It will look to leading medical experts and institutions for progressive thinking on how to best care for its fragile population physiologically, emotionally and cognitively. And it will look to naturopathic doctors to understand how alternative medicine may aid in long-term wellness. The company will leverage this knowledge to evolve its care planning in the short- and long-term.

"It is an honor to join Aegis Living's proactive mission as we collectively confront the pandemic," said Eric Sievers, M.D., Virus Council member. "The swift dissemination of best practices based upon scientific evidence now enables us to actively prevent new infections. I am confident Aegis Living will continue to improve both the lifespan and health span of its residents and lead the way for others serving vulnerable populations."

The Council will meet four times annually, starting in July 2020, with other ad-hoc meetings, as needed. The company is evaluating how to best share its learnings so other senior living providers can benefit as well. 

For more information on how Aegis Living is responding to the coronavirus crisis, visit: https://www.aegisliving.com/communications.

About Aegis Living
Aegis Living is a national leader in senior assisted living and memory care with a simple philosophy: make every day count. With more than 22 years of experience, it is known for its innovative approach to supporting residents along the continuum of care, from light assistance to advanced dementia; an eye for innovation and staying on the frontlines of design; and an employee-centric company culture. With every community, Aegis Living creates a living environment where residents can feel at home and inspired to live life to the fullest. The privately held company is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and operates 32 communities in Washington, California and Nevada, with 7 additional communities currently in development.

For more information, visit www.aegisliving.com. Follow the company on Twitter @Aegisliving and Facebook at www.facebook.com/AegisLiving.

SOURCE Aegis Living