We’ve touted the benefits that boutique senior living offers–more personalized care, the feel of home, the comfort of familiar faces, to name a few–but you may not realize that the smaller setting could actually be safer during COVID-19 than traditional senior living.
In this article, we will discuss why smaller senior living centers are the perfect place for the at-risk seniors we all know and love.
Small is Big Right Now
The COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. Right now, if your loved one needs more care than can be provided at home, you might be worried about their safety in a senior living setting. Although the senior living industry as a whole is going above and beyond to protect residents, it is understandable to be concerned about the multitude of residents (and staff) in large communities that your loved one may be in contact with. The reality is that the risk is present, and it is completely normal to feel somewhat anxious about how your loved one might come in contact with.
Your loved one is, after all, in a high-risk category as a senior. This means that they need to be more careful about who they are exposed to. As nice as it can be for senior homes to have a large and vibrant community, right now, the more people that are present, the greater the risk to their health is. Each new person that enters the center can put your loved one even more at risk.
How We Differ
Our boutique senior living homes have a 16 resident maximum. This small setting offers tremendous peace of mind for our residents and their families! Since we maintain a small number of residents, that means that we have a limited amount of staff, fewer visitors, and a much easier time controlling who is present at our homes. It allows us to take risk concerns below the threshold of most other centers, keeping our staff and residents completely safe at this time.
At Shepherd Premier Senior living, our 1 to 5 caregiver to resident ratio is crucial. Most senior centers boast a much larger community and a high volume of staff. In fact, our 1 to 5 ratio is nearly unheard of in the industry. This means that we are one of the few senior living communities that can truly minimize exposure. We believe that it is important to keep these numbers low and have a fully existing plan in place that ensures that our residents are well cared for while keeping caregiver numbers low to decrease exposure risks.
We can also reduce exposure levels because those caring for your loved ones are interacting with fewer people, making it more difficult for the virus to spread. As a bonus, our staff has the ability to provide more personalized care, which means they truly know your loved one and can quickly identify any health concerns should they ever arise. It gives us the ability to know the second a resident’s health changes, giving us the chance to take immediate first steps to address any concerns as they arise.
Large Living In A Small Community
We also work hard to ensure that our residents have the option of private accommodations for added security and privacy. With a living space of at least 4,000 square feet plus ample outdoor space in each of our homes, social distancing is much easier to accomplish than in a large, crowded senior living community. This means that your loved one can have their own space and added comfort in the face of the ongoing pandemic.
As a bonus, our residents are able to interact with social-distancing friendly residents to keep morale high during these hard times. We know our residents love spending time together, so we find safe ways to make it possible!
Additional COVID-19 Precautions in Boutique Senior Living
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been following strict local, state, and federal guidelines. However, we don’t stop there. We love and value our residents, so we go the extra mile to keep them safe.
Currently, Our Safety Measures Include:
- Performing a temperature and symptom check for residents every day, as well as any healthcare providers who enter our homes.
- Cleaning and disinfecting common areas and then cleaning and disinfecting them again.
- Following hand hygiene protocols.
- Monitoring staff for symptoms and monitoring their families for symptoms as well.
In addition to this, there are other benefits to boutique senior living that can help you feel assured of your loved one’s safety, perhaps even more so than if they were at home:
- Everything they need is under one roof so preventing exposure to public touchpoints.
- We have a strong supply chain that eliminates worry over out-of-stock necessities.
- Our trained staff is experienced with outbreaks.
Keeping Your Loved One Connected
One of the challenges for all us during this time, but particularly seniors stuck at home, is isolation. Here, your loved one will have friends and caregivers to share their time with, so they won’t be alone. We also have a number of resources to keep our residents active, connected, and thriving!
This includes small group engagement opportunities as well as independent activities and exercise options. We also make use of technology for fun things like virtual field trips and virtual visits with family to keep them happy and safe at the same time. Our team loves to see how happy our residents get when they get the chance to safely visit new places and the ones that they love!
We know how hard it is to be physically separated from those we love and have recently come up with a safe process to allow families to visit with loved ones through outdoor patio visits! This is a fun and safe way to visit your loved ones without increasing their risk of exposure to COVID-19.
As we navigate COVID-19, know that our top priority is the safety and well-being of our residents. We’re happy to answer any questions as you consider options for your loved one. We are always happy to help keep you and your family safe!
As we navigate COVID-19 know that our top priority is the safety and well-being of our residents. We’re happy to answer any questions as you consider options for your loved one.
For more information on boutique senior living at Shepherd Premier, schedule a virtual tour today or call (224) 333-6247 to speak to a team member.
