Dear Families, Friends and Neighbors,
We are committed to transparency and keeping you informed, and I want to share more our COVID-19 response as we continue to monitor developments. I’ll share what we have learned, and give you insights into some of our strategies as we continue to strengthen our infection control efforts while providing the highest quality lifestyle and safety possible. I especially want to relay our commitment and how our shared expertise with top tier partners and resource providers has grown more robust and innovative as we work to not only protect staff and loved ones, but continue the warm, extraordinary care that Aegis Living is known for each day.
First, companywide, we’re confident in sharing this good news: that our nearly 2,500 team members across the west coast are experienced, well prepared, and bring decades of combined mission-driven talent and commitment to infectious disease prevention. This deep expertise is especially important amid today’s challenges in fighting this unique virus — because we know by now we’re not running a sprint — but a marathon.
What we know…
As we look ahead, we’ve learned that our early preparation immersing ourselves in the latest research and working proactively with federal, state and local health experts paid off from the start with the rapid reduction in risk for both residents and staff. We are confident that our tracking and protection protocols following a positive test have been key to containment. And you should know that we will not let our foot off the gas pedal in our rapid response culture.
Proper prior preparation meets opportunity.
It is no small feat, that in addition to taking care of our own, our preparations have also enabled us to answer calls for help from other healthcare providers in the areas we serve. Many Aegis Living communities are partnering with non-profits supporting seniors with immediate needs— ranging from providing critical supplies for hospital doctors and nurses — to hosting senior food drives in addition to the corporate philanthropy we launched with Bartell Drugs and others to support Seattle’s homeless seniors, called, SeattleSeniorsStrong.com. Perhaps nothing makes us prouder of where Aegis Living is today, than being able to humbly celebrate the Good Samaritans in our midst. They are anonymous heroes to many.
Operations and Rapid Response Culture
Make no mistake that we are quick to react appropriately to new information in our Rapid Response Culture. We have a cross functional interdepartmental task force of leaders, experts and nursing staff who analyze developments as they continue to strengthen and evolve our protections in all areas of our communities.
And when it comes to lifestyle, every day we are in the midst of an evolution in our operations as we work to create safe spaces to keep the ‘social’ in social distancing for movement, dining and activities in common areas — knowing how critical it is to one’s mental health and happiness to stay social and engaged.
Leadership & Alliances
Looking ahead, to better meet the virus challenges, we have our own Clinical Advisory Council made up of leading experts in immunology, epidemiology, infectious disease control and naturopathic medicine. We will also continue to be aggressive in sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) through our strong relationships with our vendors and suppliers — fully committed to our goals to keep our residents and staff safe from infection for months to come.
Harnessing the best technology to promote wellness and engagement.
There is no doubt that exceptional caring is a mission that requires not only obtaining new technology, but also helping seniors embrace it to connect to you and your family. We’ve been happy to guide them in this journey as we work to form new socialization models. Looking ahead, we’re also determining how to accelerate our ambition to bring other technologies in our services to further support resident wellness.
Our commitment to you is that we never take your trust for granted. We’re honored and humbled when families choose Aegis Living to care for their loved ones. Each person makes up our one, big Aegis Family. And each day, our teams bring a dogged determination to keep your loved one safe and healthy while delivering love, engagement and care that represents all the reasons why you chose Aegis Living.
Feel free to contact your neighborhood Aegis Living community with questions. You can also follow our companywide updates where we are transparent and share our expert resources and our hero stories from the frontlines of care from our teams.
We are here for you!
Warmly,
Dwayne J. Clark
Founder, Chairman, and CEO
Aegis Living