March 17, 2020 

Dear Residents, Families, and Associates, 

As you know, our primary focus at The Saybrook at Haddam is on improving the lives of seniors, their families, and each other. As of this writing, there continues to be no known cases of Coronavirus in our community. The Saybrook at Haddam has been discussing our interventions and protocols and seeking further advice and guidance from state and local government agencies.  

On the advice of these agencies, as of today, March 17, 2020 we are implementing the CDC recommended skilled nursing home protocols, limiting all visitors to essential healthcare providers and/or compassionate care/end of life circumstances. If you wish to deliver supplies for your loved one, we ask that you drop them off outside the front door, clearly labeled with the resident name, and call us at 860-345-3779 to notify us. We will deliver them as indicated. 

Communal dining will be curtailed by encouraging residents to eat in their apartments and limiting dining to small groups.  Additionally, we cancelled all group activities and programs within the community. These are not decisions we made lightly. We know the positive impact of socialization, visitors, dining and effective programming has on our residents and believe that this is the best course of action.  

We continue to utilize infection control measures to keep our community clean and disinfected in addition to reminding residents and associates about frequent hand washing, not touching their faces, covering coughs and sneezes, and notifying Wellness if they aren’t feeling well.  

This situation is fluid and we will continue to update our families on steps we are taking while balancing the need to maintain important family contact and our desire to create a happy and engaging home for all residents. Our community has access to alternative methods to support communication and virtual visits via FaceTime and Skype, and we encourage families to reach out and engage with these options.  

To all our associates, THANK YOU! We appreciate your dedication and commitment to fulfilling the service promise that we have with our residents and families and we are here to support you.  

If you have specific questions, please reach out to Perry Phillips, our Executive Director, and/or another member of the leadership team.  

Sincerely, 

The Saybrook at Haddam  

March 12, 2020 

Dear Friends, 

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has closed nursing homes to visitors, hospitals have restricted visitation, and assisted living communities may be impacted at some point, as well. The DPH and CDC have been providing regular updates. We are always working to help prevent the spread of viruses in our community by heeding these agencies’ advice, as well as training (and re-training) our associates on evidenced-based infection control protocols, and encouraging sick associates or visitors to stay at home.  

The Saybrook at Haddam has no cases of COVID-19 and we are working proactively to keep it that way. Please note some of the modifications we are implementing in response to the Coronavirus. We have suspended hosting public events that would unnecessarily bring additional people in from outside our community. At this time, we have made the decision, in order to be consistent with CDC and local health departments’ guidance, to largely limit visitors from entering our community and also request that visits occur inside resident apartments. We are initiating a strict and documented screening process to help make sure anyone who needs to enter our community, including visitors, vendors, and associates is not exhibiting signs of illness nor has had contact with this virus through travel or exposure to those who are sick. We will also be confirming that all who enter the community have a temperature of less than 100.4 degrees. If you plan on coming to the community, please expect to be screened. We appreciate your cooperation. 

While the spread of Coronavirus is a major global concern, infection control is nothing new for us here at The Saybrook at Haddam. We fully understand the risk that cold and flu season poses to our residents and associates every year and we have a keen focus on minimizing any negative impacts. The Saybrook at Haddam’s outstanding housekeeping staff always does an excellent job sanitizing and is working tirelessly to keep surfaces and frequently touched objects clean and disinfected. We continue to remind residents about best practices regarding infection control including hand washing, not touching your face, covering coughs and sneezes, and remaining in their apartments if they aren’t feeling well. 

At this time, we are postponing out–trips that expose our residents to large public gatherings. Restaurants, plays, concerts, shopping trips, and church services are suspended. We will continue to enjoy scenic drives to picturesque and historic areas.  

Residents who utilize our shopping excursions may need support from families to bridge the gap in picking up personal items. Peapod by Stop and Shop (800-5-PEAPOD), River Valley Provisions (860-554-5599), and Nutmeg Pharmacy (860-345-3607) are more than happy to assist with deliveries. Amazon.com is also a great option, as we receive daily deliveries from UPS and FEDEX. 

 Regarding religious activities, we will continue our regular, in-house services and will also offer a daily televised mass service for those who are interested. 

 The situation is changing hourly and we are doing our best to effectively communicate our status in addition to minimizing inconveniences for you and your loved ones. Safety is our number one priority and we appreciate your support. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please call us directly. 

 Thank You and Be Well, 

 The Saybrook at Haddam Team 

In an effort to minimize exposure to the Corona Virus and risk of infection, The Saybrook at Haddam has cancelled hosting public events and is suspending our Monday night Qigong classes as well as our monthly support group for Dementia Caregivers until further notice. We also ask visitors who are not feeling well, have traveled or been exposed to people who have traveled to known areas of heightened risk, to please postpone their visit to our community. More specifically, if you’ve traveled outside the country within the last 14 days, we ask you not to visit.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has closed nursing homes to visitors, hospitals have restricted visitation, and assisted living communities may be impacted at some point, as well. The DPH has been providing regular updates. The governor declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020, which allows him to restrict travel, close public schools and buildings and more.

The Saybrook at Haddam’s outstanding housekeeping staff is working tirelessly to keep surfaces and frequently touched objects clean and disinfected. We continue to remind residents about best practices regarding infection control including hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and remaining in their apartments if they aren’t feeling well.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and support while we work to keep our residents and employees safe. We will continue to keep you updated and encourage you to call us if you have any questions or concerns.

Swing Bridge News March 2020

TSAH March ’20 Calendar

SH March Calendar ’20