Senior living facilities on lockdown

Mar. 14--RACINE COUNTY -- Racine County's senior living facilities are taking precautions due to COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus.

Ridgewood Care Center, St. Monica's Senior Living, Parkview Senior-Living Community, The Bay at Burlington Health and Rehabilitation Center and Oakridge Healthcare Center in Union Grove are among those.

St. Monica's Senior Living, 3920 N. Green Bay Road, Caledonia, has suspended all visitation until further notice. Loretta Baxter, executive director of St. Monica's, said the suspension became active when there was a report Friday of the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Racine County.

The only visitors will be essential staff, Baxter said. The senior living facility is also using safety precautions such as hand sanitizers and staff is encouraging hand-washing. Staff has been re-educated on healthy precautions and the cleaning schedule has been increased to be more frequent.

"Racine County is still at low risk, but we will use all precautions to keep our residents safe," Baxter said.

The Bay at Burlington Health and Rehabilitation Center, 677 E. State St., and Oak Ridge Care Center, 1400 Eighth Ave., Union Grove, are both not allowing visitors of any kind; only staff is allowed even though there is no confirmed or suspected cases in either center.

Ridgewood Care Center, 3205 Wood Road, Mount Pleasant, is mostly on lockdown due to the coronavirus as well. Entry to the facility is restricted for all nonessential personnel, vendors and contractors, except for preapproved visits. The only visitors allowed are family of hospice patients.

The building has posted signs at the entrance that instruct visitors not to enter if they have symptoms of respiratory infection.

"We are acutely aware that we care for an extremely vulnerable population," Ridgewood Administrator Scott Myers said in a statement. "In our ongoing effort to limit the spread of the seasonal flu as well as the novel coronavirus, we have taken additional precautionary measures to protect our residents, their families and our staff."

Any individual who is permitted into the Ridgewood building is required to adhere to proper hand and respiratory hygiene protocols and must complete a health and travel history questionnaire at a sign-in kiosk before entering the main common areas. Visitors must also have their temperature taken.

These changes are in effect until March 27. All non-essential services and activities for Ridgewood have also been canceled for the rest of March.

'Cautious for our Seniors'

Parkview Senior-Living Community staff has been making changes to its protocol as well. Parkview Gardens, an assisted living and memory care portion of the community, is on lockdown; no visitors are allowed. Both are located off Douglas Avenue north of Four Mile Road.

Everyone understands the change and has not tried to argue, said developer and General Partner Alf McConnell.

Parkview buildings 1, 2 and 3, which are independent living, are not on lockdown yet. However, the building got new hand sanitizers last fall in preparation for flu season. Parkview Gardens already had hand sanitizing stations when it opened in June 2018.

Staff made sure to order a large amount of the hand sanitizing solution to last all winter.

McConnell said looking back, having hand sanitizers already in the buildings was a smart and lucky decision because of the hand sanitizer shortage at retail stores.

"We're being cautious for our seniors," he said. "We have a fiduciary responsibility to our residents."

In addition, staff is encouraging family members and friends to communicate with senior residents via phone call or video chat.

McConnell hopes people are going to be well educated and listen to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The senior community is trying to follow the CDC's advice with these new policies.

"There's always the risk of a pandemic," McConnell said. "Be prepared because it will spread. There is a risk to everyone in the country until a vaccine is available to the public."

Additionally, the Burlington Senior Center, 587 E State St., is closing for two weeks, Burlington Mayor Jeannie Hefty and City Administrator Carina Walters announced Friday.

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