December 3, 2020
With regard to weekly testing of staff for COVID-19, one employee has tested positive and is isolating at home. We are currently awaiting laboratory results of weekly testing on all staff which was conducted Tues., Dec. 1. Please note: We continue to experience a lag time of several days or longer from the date of testing until all results have been received.
We were also notified last evening that one our residents has tested positive for COVID-19. Isolation protocols and related precautions are being followed. All residents’ primary care physicians were contacted today by Ingersoll staff and authorization to test residents for COVID-19 has been requested. Testing of each individual resident is contingent upon the physician’s authorization and consent by the resident or his/her representative. We will notify you once a testing date has been set. We will continue to keep you informed if new COVID-19 cases are confirmed as required by New York State Department of Health regulations.
Group activities and communal dining remain suspended and in-person visits (patio and library) are canceled until further notice. For assistance in scheduling virtual visits via Zoom and FaceTime and window visits, please call the Reception Desk at 518-370-4419.
Activities Department staff are distributing activities packets with a December theme. These include quizzes about Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanza, word search and crossword puzzles, holiday jokes and riddles and coloring pages. They have also resumed the “after dinner coffee cart,” featuring coffee, tea, hot chocolate and a “chef’s pick” snack. It’s also an opportunity for residents to see a friendly face and enjoy a quick chat as they wind down their day.
Christmas decorations are going up throughout the building, inside and out. A reminder to all families and friends: live trees, garlands, kissing balls and wreaths are not permitted due to fire regulations. Staff members are available to help residents decorate their apartments or doorways. Please call the Reception Desk for assistance with holiday decorating.
It goes without saying, getting through this holiday season is going to be challenging for residents, families, staff… everyone. Finding ways to celebrate when we need be apart from those we love will require fortitude and faith that we’re going to get through this and there are brighter days ahead. We need to remember to smile and give those around us a reason to smile. Thanks to Caroline Thompson who’s been sharing her Bella with residents and staff for many years and to Jennifer Miller whose mother Betty lives at Ingersoll Place and who kindly loaned us her beautiful pup Mason for a visit here yesterday. Thanks, too, to all the staff who are doing everything possible to make the holiday magic happen.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact the following members of the management staff, as appropriate, at 518-370-4419:
Caroline Thompson, Executive Director/Administrator
Michelle Rearic, Business Office/HR Manager
Amber Zoller, Assistant Case Manager
Pam Jordan, Facilities Director
Christina Benardo, Activities Director
Ceil Mack, Marketing Director
