Michelle Sucillon, Community Relations Associate
As a precaution and for the safety of our residents and staff, we’ve implemented some new protocols in our Belmont Village community, including:
- Limiting entry to essential visitors only (those necessary for resident care and community operations)
- Daily health screenings and temperature checks for employees and essential visitors upon entry, and wellness and temperature checks for our residents every day
- No in-house social visits, public events or outings — we are sheltering in place
- Modified dining and bistro services that follow social distancing requirements
- Social distancing or one-on-one formats for all resident activities
- Cleaning and sanitizing that follows our expanded plans at each community, using CDC-recommended products and procedures
While we’ve made some changes to adapt to the situation, our essential employees are committed to continuing to provide great care for our residents every day. They enjoy and want to come to work every day. We’re grateful to have such a dedicated staff who understand how important and appreciated their support is to our residents and community.
To adhere to social-distancing recommendations, we’ve made adjustments to our activities and entertainment, from outdoor musical performances in our courtyard for residents to enjoy from their windows to weekly door-to-door happy hour and hallway exercise classes.
We’ve seen an outpouring of love and support from the families of our residents, along with our neighbors and area organizations. For example, several local restaurants, including MA’S and Prosecco, have put together special offers for our residents and staff, including free delivery. Many neighbors have also offered to provide virtual exercise classes, chess tutoring, concerts and even bingo calling for our residents through online platforms.
Witnessing the Toluca Lake community come together the way they have over the past weeks has been heartwarming. The generous offers from the area restaurants and neighbors show how we can rely on each other for support during difficult times.
Although times are tough, we have adjusted well to the circumstances. We’ve found new, innovative ways to keep our residents engaged and show our hard-working employees how appreciated they are. Our company has increased the number of mobile devices we have so that families are also still able to stay in contact with our residents via email, video chats and window visits. We continue to stay optimistic and learn how to dance in the rain.
Fortunately, we have plenty of support and resources to continue to provide quality care for our residents. We do have a fun initiative called Project Smile, a program that encourages area kids to create cards and mail them to our residents. We welcome anyone to join in this program and send a fun card and messages of hope to our residents. We know they would enjoy it.
Even though times are tough, we have never felt more connected to the beautiful Toluca Lake community. We care for our neighbors and we know they care for us as well. Supporting each other is how we will survive and thrive.
Return to The State of the Village.