Older Adult Care Workers Lead With Big Hearts

In a letter to the editor of the Albany Times Union , Argentum New York Executive Director Ginger Lynch Landy pays tribute to the roughly 55,000 frontline workers caring for 50,000 New York state residents at licensed adult care and assisted living communities. "On a 'normal' day, these workers are considered heroes, working 24/7 to provide high quality care, supports, and services to seniors whom they have come to know and love as family in communities that value dignity and independence," Landy writes. "But these last weeks have given new meaning to the word 'hero.' Our team members are bravely leading with their hearts as their compassion, training, and dedication guide them through this pandemic." Landy also praises New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's efforts in supplying access to personal protective equipment and testing to frontline workers. "A basic tenant of resident-centered assisted living is transparency and open communication with family members," she concluded. "Our providers have been and will continue to disclose resident and staff COVID-19 cases and deaths to family members, staff, and the state Department of Health."