July 27, 2020

Our COVID-19 Plan

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to evolve, individual states across the country are starting to “open up.” Brookdale is also beginning to move into a new phase. While acknowledging that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to easing restrictions, Brookdale has developed a comprehensive three-staged plan to easing restrictions, which provides our communities with criteria to meet in order to move toward a complete reopening. Though we’re eager to resume normal operations, we’re taking a very conservative approach to easing restrictions to help protect everyone we care for and who spends time in a Brookdale community.

Brookdale considers federal, state and local guidance for reopening as part of our overall plan. Reopening guidelines include guidance for beauty salons, fitness centers, pools, dining rooms, outdoor and indoor visitors, and group programming. And as always, our top priority is the health and well-being of our residents, patients and associates. We communicate our plans to our customers by community, including the specifics that are important to them.

What This Plan Entails

TESTING

We believe that the best way to protect those in our care is to have a clear understanding of who has COVID-19. Community-wide testing is underway across communities, in accordance with state and local mandates. Residents and associates are tested, regardless of whether they are symptomatic. This is a result of the community and regional teams’ work to get the kits needed to test for COVID-19 on-site, removing the need for anyone to leave the community and expose themselves to unnecessary risk. Our goal with this testing is to help provide a better opportunity to contain the virus and to try to prevent its spread.

COVID-19 RESPONSE

If someone in a community tests positive for COVID-19, the following steps may be implemented at the community:

Transferring COVID-19 positive residents to a local skilled nursing center or hospital, as necessary and available.
Identifying a specific area of the community to create a special resident care area to address those residents who have tested positive for COVID-19; creation of these special resident care areas includes assembling a specific barrier from other areas of the building to isolate a designated section. This may involve temporarily relocating residents. Specific associates are assigned who will solely work in the special resident care area, and they will not provide services to the general population area of the community. We will maintain our strict protocols and screening guidelines.
Diagnosed associates will remain at home until medically cleared to return to work.
Should an associate or resident test positive for COVID-19, communications are sent to residents and families informing them about the presence of positive COVID-19 case(s).

In select communities, we have created a Welcome Back Area (Alternative Cohort Unit) to help residents meet isolation requirements who previously tested positive for COVID-19 and have been cleared to return to their Brookdale community. This area will be separated from the rest of the community. The Welcome Back Area will have specific associates assigned to it. These associates will not provide services to residents residing in other areas of the community nor will they will work in other areas of the community.

ADDITIONAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Masks

All associates are required to wear a new surgical mask in the community every day, and they are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings during activities outside of work.

Residents are encouraged to wear face coverings whenever possible, as they are able. All visitors are required to wear a face covering, and we can provide one if necessary.

Social distancing

A six-foot social distance will be maintained during tours and other activities.

Cleaning

There are ample hand-sanitizing stations throughout common areas. Shared supplies like iPads, pens and paper, as well as tables and surfaces, are thoroughly sanitized between uses. Cleaning and disinfecting protocols, developed in conjunction with Ecolab, have been updated to specifically address COVID-19.

Virtual Visits and Tours

Most of our residents and their families are familiar with video-conferencing technology by now, but if not, that’s okay, because we’re here to help them every step of the way. With virtual visits, prospective residents can experience their new home from the comfort of their current home.

Outdoor Meet & Greet Visits

Prospective residents are welcome to come and see the exterior of a community for themselves. Once they make their appointment, they will meet with Brookdale associates either in a tent with seating set up in the parking lot or on the porch, depending on the community set-up. Your patients will be able to ask any and all questions in person.

“Limited Essential” Indoor Tours

In a “limited essential” tour, guests will be able to come inside the community to see an apartment in person. These are handled on a case-by-case basis, and not all communities will be able to conduct these tours due to the safety protocols they have in place.

Reach out to inquire about your local community’s stage of readiness, and for the latest updates, visit our website.