Assisted Living Staff Members Help With Video, Phone Calls

Assisted living communities in Maryland have established new approaches to help residents and families stay connected despite pandemic restrictions, reports the Bayside Gazette . For example, siblings Pamela Schaffer and Steven Bloyd, who own Catered Living in Ocean Pines and Chesapeake Manor Assisted Living in Willards, imposed safety precautions, like banning visitors inside communities. Schaffer said residents remained connected to family members through FaceTime in the beginning, while "a lot of family members started bringing chairs and sitting outside of their windows. We just were cleared by the State of Maryland to allow the family members and the residents to visit outside six feet apart." Catered Living residents and their loved ones meet under a pergola while maintaining the required distance. Meanwhile, the Woodlands of Ocean Pines offers medication management and disbursement, three daily meals plus snacks, activities, twice-weekly apartment cleaning, and laundry service. Chesapeake Cottage in Snow Hill allows family members to visit residents outside while residents stay on the porch. The community also is using personal protective equipment like face shields, masks, gloves, and gowns, and daily tests for COVID-19.