The welfare of our consumers and staff come first!
BayPath Elder Services is in close contact with the
MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs
, the
Department of Public Health
, and other state and local agencies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to follow their guidance, as well as the CDC recommended best practices. We are also in close communication with our extensive network of in-home service providers and community partners during this crisis.
We are continuing to provide services
and thank all of our consumers for being patient with us as we make the necessary adjustments to enforce all possible precautions to safeguard wellness.
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Updates as of April 9, 2020
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Home Delivered Meals
This week Meals on Wheels delivery resumed on a restricted Tuesday and Friday schedule for all consumers who are part of the Meals on Wheels program. We are providing three meals on each delivery day so that our consumers are covered for the days in between deliveries while practicing proper social distancing. Additionally, the Elder Nutrition Program is now processing new Title III consumers.
A huge shout out to all staff who volunteered to deliver shelf-stable meals last week! We also want to send a big thank you to our office team led by
Kim
Ketron,
with support from
Ines Barros and
Nez Fontes, for fielding many Meals on Wheels calls during the past two weeks. It is excellent to have phone support to help consumers navigate through the many changes the past few weeks have brought.
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Internal communication while sheltering in place.
We have had great success through the use of technology in keeping our work flowing and communication open. We have weekly "All Staff" video conferencing to stay in touch, update each other, and generally boost each other's morale while self-isolating.
Additionally,
Jeff Gardella, BayPath's IT Applications Specialist, worked very hard, uniting our staff via technology. All BayPath staffers are up to speed working via a VPN connection and using Microsoft Teams as a way to rapidly communicate, video chat, and create workgroups for specialized discussions within our departments. We thank our staff for their extra efforts in learning these new ways to collaborate in such a short time.
This communication is what is enabling us to provide the best support possible for our consumers while we ensure our collective safety.
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The LGBTQ+ Initiative
Though we have been unable to conduct our Pathways Cafe or our chat group "Coffee & Celebration," we are still offering support and working hard to connect community members with information and services.
Julie Nowak, our LGBTQ+ Initiative Coordinator, is willing to talk to anyone in need. You can contact her via the following methods:
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Nursing Home
Family Resource Line
The Baker-Polito Administration also announced the launch of a new Nursing Home Family Resource Line, a dedicated telephone line that will connect family members of nursing home and rest home residents with the information and resources they need.
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This resource, created in conjunction with
MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs and
the
Department of Public Health
, offers family and community members one central contact to reach out to if they have questions or concerns about the care their loved one is receiving during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The line is staffed from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days a week. Staff will coordinate across state agencies to help callers find answers to their questions. Families and community members can call the line at (617) 660-5399.
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Stay-at-home advisory still in place
The state's stay at home advisory and mandatory closures of non-essential businesses are still in place until noon on May 4, 2020.
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CVS offers rapid testing in Lowell
A new CVS rapid testing site has launched in Lowell,
stopping COVID-19 testing at the original Shrewsbury pilot testing site. CVS Lowell will provide on-the-spot COVID-19 testing and results at no cost. Patients will need to pre-register in advance online at CVS.com to schedule a same-day time slot for testing.
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Additional information from Mass.gov
In the release:
- MassHealth receives a new infusion of $800 million in critical stabilization funding to support health care providers impacted by and responding to COVID-19.
- Nursing Home Mobile Testing Program: Building on efforts to protect high-risk populations like older adults, the Baker-Polito Administration has launched a program to allow for safe, rapid on-site testing of residents of long-term care facilities like nursing homes and rest homes.
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Information on avoiding scams
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Keeping our BayPath Consumers Informed
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Keep up with proven facts regarding coronavirus
The best place to stay informed from data from a credible medical agency.
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As previously mentioned, BayPath will continue to update our website and social media platforms as rapidly as possible.
(See below for links.)
The welfare of our consumers and our staff continues to be our top priority. We have dedicated ourselves to uniting together so that we may all get through this crisis as safely as possible. Below is one of many examples of this unity.
Bree Dao and her mother/mask-maker
Heather Crump (both of Marlborough) have been making cloth masks for Marlborough community members and Massachusetts hospitals, nurses, etc. BayPath Information and Referral specialist
Alexis Smither reached out for two masks, one for a BayPath consumer and the other for her in-home health aide. The receipt of these two masks helped to reduce the consumer’s anxiety about receiving much-needed support. Alexis reached out to Bree again to see if we could get any more masks for high-risk consumers, and Bree and Heather graciously have donated 12 additional masks*. (
*Please note, BayPath is not making masks. These were special circumstances.)
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Angela Yildiz
, Senior Care Options (SCO) Supervisor, delivered two masks to BayPath consumer,
Diane from Marlboro
(pictured at right)
, who is beyond appreciative of having
a mask for herself and for the friend who takes her shopping for groceries!
In these times, it is incredible that a small piece of cloth can bring our community together and provide a bit of security to each other. Thank you, Alexis, Bree, and Heather, for your efforts and thoughtfulness.
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Sincerely,
Christine Alessandro
Executive Director
BayPath Elder Services
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