Dear Guerin Woods Families & Friends:
In 1863 President Lincoln established the first official US Thanksgiving. He invited all US citizens to be grateful for their incredible blessings. . .at a time when they were still burying those who had died at Gettysburg. His Gettysburg Address was delivered one week before Thanksgiving. How we can be thankful during a pandemic? Like Lincoln, despite our current challenges, we must look forward to a better day and be grateful for our ability to weather the many trials and frustrations of our daily life.
Many of you may be familiar with the hymn, "Count Your Blessings." My wish for all of us is that we are able to count our many blessing by embracing courage and audacity amidst hardship, not just during times of comfort and calm.
I am so very grateful for our foundress, Sister Barbara, her legacy, and the amazing work she did at Guerin Woods and throughout her life.
I am grateful for our wonderful elders and their loving and supporting families.
I am grateful for our dedicated staff who give of themselves physically and mentally to provide a safe, comfortable, and nurturing home for our elders.
I am grateful to our staff members who consistently make extreme personal sacrifices by picking up extra shifts or taking on additional challenges to ensure our elders are properly cared for.
I am grateful for the thousands of scientists who have been working around the clock to develop COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.
I am grateful for my supportive family and friends.
I am grateful for my health and (what is left of) my mental acuity.
I am grateful for living in a country where clean water and nutritious food are readily available.
. . . .
These are the closing lines of Lincoln's Thanksgiving declaration: "And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union."
Peace be with you,
Susan
- Guerin Woods COVID-19 Statistics
Total # of Elder Cases | New Elder Cases in Last 24 Hrs | Elder Deaths in Last 24 Hrs | Instances of 3 or More Elders/Staff w/ New Onset of Respiratory Symptoms w/in 72 hours of Each Other |
8* | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*COVID-19 positive test dates: 8/5/20 (1); 10/14/20 (1); 10/21/20 (1); 10/23/20 (2); 10/29/20 (1); 11/16/20 (1; new admission from another facility); 11/19/20 (1).
- Examples of Facility Infection Mitigation/Prevention/Planning Measures
Visitation Restrictions |
Decontamination of all personal items delivered by elder families and friends |
Staff Competency Reinforcement/Training: Infection Control; COVID-19; Proper PPE Use; Handwashing; Social Distancing, etc. |
Daily staff reminders to self-monitor for fever and symptoms of COVID-19 and to stay home if unwell |
Cohorting of staff (among Villas) |
Exclusion of non-essential staff |
Staff use of masks and goggles/face shields: 100% of the time in Villas |
Increased cleaning frequency & use of COVID-19/EPA approved sanitizing solutions for equipment, frequently touched surfaces and common areas |
Placement of alcohol-based hand sanitizer throughout the Villas and in elders' rooms |
Placement of tissues and trash cans in elder's rooms and in common areas for respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette, and source control |
Elder social distancing and use of masks (for those able) when in common areas |
Transition to telephonic/video meetings whenever possible, e.g., Care Plan Meetings |
Use of telehealth when appropriate |
Creation and use of signage to remind elders and staff re PPE usage, cough etiquette, social distancing, handwashing |
Creation of signage in anticipation of positive COVID-19 cases re proper use of PPE, precautions, etc. |
Adoption of pharmacy policies & practices that ensure availability of all necessary medications |
Pre-shift health assessment/screening of every staff member, including all CDC-defined COVID-19 symptoms |
Assessment of elders for CDC-defined COVID-19 symptoms every shift |
Cancellation of all non-essential medical appointments, e.g., routine eye exams |
Acquisition of additional/excess supplies, e.g., ABHS, soap, paper towels, sanitizing solutions, PPE, oxygen concentrators |
Conversion of separate on-site facility to staff sleeping quarters, including procurement of beds, linens, etc. |
Conversion of separate on-site facility to accommodate COVID-19 positive elders, including but not limited to new flooring, rental of beds, use of donated storage and office furniture, and waiver application |
Conversion of separate on-site facility to accommodate COVID-19 supplies, including preparation of individual kits for ease of use |
Staging of COVID-19 materials in anticipation of providing immediate response |
Preparation for ability to teach CNA/PCA courses on-site, including but not limited to staff training, licensure, procurement of necessary course materials, etc., in anticipation of potential staffing shortages |
Daily meetings among executive and senior clinical staff re newest state and federal COVID-19 regulations & guidance (and changes thereto), associated changes to policies/procedures, education/training, facility changes, etc. |
Extensive contingency planning, including adoption of new policies & procedures (and frequent amendment of same as guidelines from federal and state public health authorities change) |
Frequent coordination with local and state public health and emergency response authorities |
Guerin Woods Contacts
Contact (Title) | Steve Brian (Administrator) | Susan Gernert (President & CEO) |
Cell Phone | 812-399-9046 | 502-830-4336 |
Email |
Guerin Woods Current Visitation Policy.
- Visitation
- Indoor and Outdoor Visitation is currently suspended.
- Compassionate Care Visitation - Compassionate Care Indoor Visitation is limited primarily to end-of-life situations. Guerin Woods will also consider Compassionate Care visitation for elders who (a) meet objective, clinical criteria indicating a meaningful decline in their psychosocial wellbeing and (b) have not or cannot benefit from other forms of visitation. Guerin Woods will proactively contact the POAs of elders who meet these criteria. If you would like to contact us regarding the possibility of compassionate care visitation, you are welcome to do so by sending an email to guerinwoodsvisitations@pssmsi.org. Please know that we will assess any such request on a case-by-case basis, based on a set of objective criteria. Those who are approved will be instructed – as appropriate – regarding visitation scheduling, duration, frequency, location, and other restrictions, such as training, COVID-19 testing, etc.
- Facilitated Phone Calls & Video Chats - Please call your elder's Villa on the day you wish to have your call or video chat to confirm the availability of staff. Please know that our staff remain very busy throughout the day, and they may ask that you be flexible regarding the time and length of your call or video chat. Individual CNAs cannot commit to staff availability other than their own because they do not know what the demands may or may not be on another shift or when they are not working.
- Closed Window Visits - Please continue your closed window visits! Risk-free. Mask-free. ...and no social distancing required!
- Testing & Transfers: Guerin Woods is following the guidance and directives of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), and Floyd County Health Department regarding COVID-19 testing. If an elder were to test positive for COVID-19 and Guerin Woods was unable to provide the necessary care, the elder would be transferred to a hospital or other appropriate facility.
- General Information: For more information about COVID-19, please refer to: https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/2400.htm; https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. You can also address general questions about COVID-19 to the ISDH COVID-19 Call Center, available 24/7, at 877-826-0011.
- Indiana Long-Term Care Ombudsman: The Ombudsman is NOT a representative of the facility, ISDH, or any other organization. However, we do want to provide accurate information to ensure families are comfortable that their loved ones are as safe as possible and are able to make informed decisions.
Physical Address | Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman 402 West Washington Street, Room W451 Post Office Box 7083, MS 27 Indianapolis, Indiana 46207-7083 |
Phone Number | 800-622-4484 or 317-232-7134 |
Fax Number | 317-972-3285 |
Email | |
Website |
Susan
Susan Gernert
President & CEO
Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries, Inc.
Guerin, Inc.
The Meadows of Guerin, Inc.
502-830-4336 (cell)
8037 Unruh Drive
Georgetown, Indiana 47122
guerininc.org
