Keeping our residents healthy and safe.

Last Friday, Minnesotans were asked to shelter in place from Friday, March 27th through Friday, April 10th. This executive order comes with the best interest of all Minnesotans in mind, and allows essential workers to continue providing essential services. Rest assured, Ebenezer staff are considered essential workers, and we will be on the job working to ensure the health and safety of our residents.
 
Our communities are working closely with MHealth Fairview preparing for various challenges related to COVID19. We are fortunate that our Coronavirus supply lines are good and we have reserves. Being in partnership with Fairview Health Services provides us with valuable information, insight and resources as Ebenezer continues to do everything within our power to keep our residents and staff safe and healthy.
 
Our new normal, in light of the executive order, means you may have questions about how the Governor’s orders will affect your loved ones at Ebenezer.  
 
Groceries & Essential Household Supplies:

• Family Members may deliver groceries to the front door of the community and a staff member will get it to the resident’s apartment. Please label the deliveries with Name and room number.
• You can order groceries to be delivered to the front door of many of our communities through a professional grocery or supply delivery service, such as Amazon, Shipt or Instacart. A staff member will deliver the groceries or supplies up to the resident’s apartment.

 
Medication Set Up:

• During the Shelter in Place order, family members who are setting up medications will need to set up medications outside of the Ebenezer community where their loved one lives. Medication boxes can then be delivered to the front door, and a staff member will deliver the medication box up to the resident’s apartment.
• If you have questions regarding medication set up or services, please contact the Director of Health Services at your loved one’s location.

 
Home Care, Hospice, Lab, X-Ray:

• These essential services will continue as they have been. This means any essential service worker will still need to pass a temperature check and health screening before visiting residents.

 
Engagement & Connection:

• For their protection during this health crisis, we are asking our residents not to leave the community or their apartments. If you have a question about a specific appointment or reason to leave the community, please contact your community.
• Group activities, programs and outings remain cancelled for our Independent and Assisted Living residents. We continue to find ways to engage residents in our Dimensions Memory Care Community, while still practicing social distancing.
• Our dedicated activities staff are coming up with new and fun activities such as hallway bingo, hallway games and other activities that maintain social distance, or virtual activities that residents can participate in while remaining in their own apartments.
• Staff members are assisting with Video Chat options for residents and their loved ones to stay connected. This is a heavily requested form of engagement, so thank you in advance for your patience as we make our best effort to accommodate all requests.
• If your loved one does not have a tablet, cell phone or laptop, please consider providing one for them to use during this time.  If you or your loved one would like to participate in a video chat, but need assistance in set up please reach out to us. Please understand many are trying to connect with their loved ones so there may be times of diminished video capacity. We recommend combination of phone calls in addition to video chat if that is your preferred method. 
• Finally, you can help us by designating one person in your family as primary point of contact with our team members if you have questions or concerns during the COVID-19 crisis. We are committed to keeping you in the know about your loved one and it’s much easier if only one person per family contacts us.

 
Ebenezer thanks you for doing your part to help us keep our community safe, healthy, and connected. We know that our resident population is at higher risk for severe illness, which is why we have already taken (and will continue to take) steps to protect our community. If you would like more information about this, visit the CDC website
 
It is so important to show empathy and compassion in every interaction we have during this challenging and unprecedented time. Practice self-care through healthy eating, exercise, and getting enough sleep. Stay in contact with your loved ones, and support each other from afar. It is during difficult times that we demonstrate our perseverance, resilience, and strength. This too shall pass - remember that we will get through this. We are all in this together.
 
The common goal we all share at this time is to keep our residents safe and healthy.  Thank you for being a part of the Ebenezer family.

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