Parkview Senior Living Maintains Quality Resident Care During COVID-19

All businesses have been forced to make changes due to COVID-19, but Redwood Area Development Corporation Member Business Parkview Senior Living is one of many senior homes that has taken an especially big hit. Administrator, Megan Zetah, shares with us the necessary changes that were made amidst the pandemic and how it has affected the residents and their family members. 

Parkview Senior Living, located in Belview, MN, provides various levels of quality care to its patrons, including outpatient therapy, adult day services, independent and assisted living apartments, short-term rehabilitation and skilled nursing services. The 30 bed skilled nursing facility and apartments are certified by Medicare and Medicaid. 

Facilities like hospitals, doctor offices and senior homes have seen a whirlwind of change during the last few months. As vital resources, vast precautions in the facilities must now be taken to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and to protect the elderly and ill.

Parkview Senior Living Takes Precautions to Ensure Resident Health and Wellness

“Parkview Senior Living, as a campus, has had to make a lot of changes to preserve the health of its residents. Upon direction of the MN Department of Health, we’ve had to restrict visitors and cancel communal dining and group activities. Daily, all staff are screened for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 along with wearing the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Residents are also screened twice a day and asked to wear masks when outside their rooms and in their rooms while in close proximity with staff,” says Zetah.

Many residents of senior homes need these daily interactions to stay positive and healthy, which is why the staff has encouraged families to continue to visit with their loved ones virtually. Virtual interactions provide the necessary safety measures to ensure no residents are exposed to COVID-19, but they allow the warm family support residents crave.  

“Throughout this entire process, we’ve encouraged families to utilize Skype and FaceTime to stay virtually connected to their loved one. We also encourage telephone calls, window visits and sending messages through the mail,” says Zetah.

“Since the MN Department of Health released the guidance for allowing outdoor visits, which still have some restrictions, we’ve had quite a few family members utilize the outdoor visits,” she continues.  

The Parkview Senior Living Staff Maintains a Positive Atmosphere

The Parkview Senior Living staff is also working hard to maintain a positive atmosphere. The Activities Department is finding creative ways to keep residents engaged despite limited interaction. The Dietary and Nursing Departments have also had to make changes, but remain diligent in order to provide the best possible care to residents. 

Resident safety takes priority. While there is no way to tell how long the spread of COVID-19 will threaten the United States, in order to take extra precautionary measures moving forward, PPE and social distancing will be part of the new normal at Parkview Senior Living for quite some time.

“I’d like to reassure the community that Parkview Senior Living is doing our very best to protect its residents and staff from COVID-19. I’d also like to publicly thank our staff for the amazing work they do and for their understanding while we navigate through these challenges. Also thank you to the families of our residents for their understanding as well. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ll get through it!” Zetah assures readers. 

Parkview Senior Living is an important Member Business. The organization takes great care of our geriatric residents. For more information about how Parkview Senior Living is remaining positive and successfully navigating the COVID-19 challenges, visit www.parkviewseniorliving.org. To learn more about our other Member Businesses, click here.