Light at the End of the Tunnel

By David Meyer, Sales and Marketing Counselor

Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, it has changed the course of history. It certainly has in health care. For a good chunk of 2020, in an effort to protect our residents, we suspended new admissions. It wasn’t until late summer that we could consider new admits for assisted living, and late fall until we could open up our Post-Acute-to-Home (PATH®) short-term rehabilitation program to patients.

Even after opening things back up, a lot of restrictions were still in place, due to these areas being licensed: no communal dining, no interaction with independent living residents, no on-site tours for interested prospects, and no indoor visitation — to name a few.

However, we are starting to see that long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel. It’s been several weeks since a positive resident or staff COVID case. Therefore, some restrictions are able to be relaxed. Communal dining has returned for independent and assisted living residents, on-site tours can now occur in assisted living, and indoor visitation can now occur.

With some of these things returning, there are some new protocols. Social distancing must be in place during dining, visiting prospects must have a rapid COVID test prior to the tour, and appropriate documentation must be presented for an indoor visit to become reality. Any of these things can come undone with a positive resident or staff case, but the fact we have got this far has given us all optimism.

Even with this, the buzz is here. Opportunities feel more abundant to help give someone a chance to recover and head home, or find a new place to call home.

Our PATH program has 10 rooms available during pandemic times for folks to receive care after a qualifying stay in the hospital, using their Medicare Part A benefit or an approved Managed Medicare plan. They will have a customized therapy schedule in an effort to get stronger and discharge to an area where fewer services are needed.

Our PATH program provides customized patient care after a hospital or other qualifying stay. It deploys physical, occupational, and speech therapy to achieve recovery and independence. PATH patients get the attention and space they need to recover while enjoying the company of other therapy patients. We’re happy to resume this important service now that some COVID restrictions have been lifted.

In assisted living, we currently have several one bedroom and alcove studio apartments available.

After a long and trying year, it’s nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel — such as dining with our friends and sharing activities together again. The fact that we can have loved ones visit (on a scheduled basis, around every two weeks on average) is an additional blessing for which we are grateful.

To learn more about PATH or assisted living, contact David Meyer, marketing and sales director for assisted living and health care, at 913-599-6100 or dmeyer@pmma.org.