The Cottages Visitation Varies by Campus: updated 10/04/22
✅ OPEN – Golden Pond Senior Living 715-201-8584
✅ OPEN – Golden Pond Memory Care 715-201-8584
✅ OPEN – Meadowlands Senior Living 920-249-5330
✅ OPEN– Meadowlands Memory Care 920-249-5444
✅ OPEN – Lake Park Senior Living 715-330-5760
✅ OPEN – Lake Park Memory Care 715-201-8920
We can’t stress enough that anyone who is sick in any way or has been around anyone sick in any way NOT visit until at least 7 days after that exposure or the illness is over.
Cottages Current COVID-19 Procedures Effective OCTOBER 11th, 2022
1. All team members regardless of vaccination status will NO LONGER need to wear surgical facemasks in counties with low or medium transmission and no outbreak in the campus; unless caring for a PUI. See “Caring for a PUI” in the main COVID Procedures. Caring for a PUI requires a KN95 mask. NOTE: If a team member is not up to date on the influenza vaccine; masking will STILL APPLY.
– If any team members are exposed to anyone who has confirmed COVID-19; OR if they have any
COVID related symptoms OR anyone in their house has any COVID related symptoms; they need to
wear a KN95 mask until 7 days after the exposure or onset of symptoms in the individual or the person
in their household. A negative antigen test on the 7th day is also required then the team member can
return to no longer needing to mask. ( “Exposure” means within 6 feet for a cumulative total of 15
minutes or more over a 24-hour period with no PPE )
– Even 1 COVID case (staff or resident) will result in all team members and visitors needing to wear a
surgical mask on the entire campus until the outbreak is defined as being over. The outbreak is over
after the following options:
1) 2 negative tests; antigen or PCR
2) 10 days since the onset of symptoms or positive test with no new cases and lessening
symptoms.
– Any confirmed COVID-19 exposure to any team member or any team member with COVID-19
symptoms is no longer required to have an antigen and/or PCR (lab-based) tested as soon as
possible; however they are available to be used for anyone with an exposure or symptoms, free of
charge. A positive test will result in that person needing to immediately start their 10 day quarantine.
Team members can return on day 7 ONLY with a negative test result on day 7 as well as improving
symptoms.
2. Visitors and team members will still be screened at the door along with hand hygiene regardless of their vaccination status at this time. No antigen/rapid tests for visitors will be required but can be used at the discretion of management for visitors. Visitors are no longer required to wear masks HOWEVER they are asked to not visit if they have a known exposure to anyone with COVID or any COVID symptoms. Visitors would be asked to wear a mask during any outbreak status OR high county COVID transmission rates.
Meaning visitors will follow the same procedures that team members do.
– Visiting hours should be expanded as time/staffing allows. Volunteers to help with the entry/screening
process are encouraged to relieve burden from reception/caregiving staff. Entry screens have been
stopped per CDC/DHS guidelines for all guests. Team members will still screen when they arrive for
their shift.
– No longer a requirement on the maximum number of visitors
– Visitation hours no longer exist so visitation can occur at any time. HOWEVER, the facility has the
authority to restrict visitation based on outbreak status or their discretion for the health and safety of
residents and the team.
– Visits can take place anywhere in the facility; no longer wearing masks including dining and activities.
The Cottages does hold the right to ask someone to leave if they are not abiding by our safety
procedures, including mask wearing.
– Compassionate care visits will continue as they had been and could be at any time per facility
management discretion.
3. Admissions
– Antigen test and screen upon arrival regardless of vaccination status. If a positive test result or refusal
to test takes place; Cottages policy depending on the building will apply and this is spelled out in our
COVID policy manual.
– Vaccine availability varies by location, but almost all clinics, hospitals, drug stores, etc., have the
vaccine and are able to administer it. Check with your doctor or call a pharmacy to schedule your
vaccine appointment.
4. New team member/employee
– Antigen test and screen prior to job shadow; follow current mask policy in place for that building.
5. No quarantine period applies to any resident who leaves the facility for any reason.
6. Routine 2 week Antigen testing stopped for team members,per most recent CDC guidance on 9/27/22
7. Vitals checks on residents will only be performed on residents with symptoms or at their request.
8. Outside services still need to screen and sanitize upon entry. Mask wearing is up to that service person or
their company’s policy at the time. If they choose to wear eye protection they can but this would no longer be a
requirement for The Cottages.
9) Communal dining and activities in RCAC settings will go back to pre-COVID procedures starting March 1st,
2021.
– For any resident who does not feel comfortable coming down for meals or is sick; they can be
served in their rooms.
– Entertainment from outside services will be ALLOWED with the following protocols:
– Ask if the vendor/entertainer is vaccinated; screened at entry either way.
– Can come in either way, but document this on the screening log.
– Mask wearing is no longer required for outside vendors/guests; neither is proper distancing. HOWEVER, all are asked to not visit if they have a known exposure to anyone with COVID or any COVID symptoms.
10) All packages can immediately be brought to the residents; no 24 hour decontamination period required for any packages or mail.
11) In the event of even one COVID positive test; the facility will:
– Continue with the required policy of COVID testing any close contacts and/or symptomatic individuals
and isolating as necessary.
– Require all team members to wear a surgical mask on the entire campus until the outbreak is defined as being over. (see above)
– Any Staff can choose to wear a KN95 mask at any time and it will be provided to them by the Cottages.
– PCR testing will no longer be immediately done unless required by State officials or at the discretion of The Cottages COVID Response Team. Antigen testing will be the preferred method.
The Cottages reserves the right to immediately go back to stricter COVID-19 procedures in the event of a COVID outbreak in the facility even with residents and staff vaccinations. This determination will be made on an as needed basis by the Cottages COVID Response Team.
Previous updates below; please refer to above for current procedures.
Masking & FRIENDLY REMINDER (08/01/22)
In light of the recent news of a resurgence of a COVID-19 cases all over the country and in our area of WI; we felt it necessary to remind everyone to be mindful when visiting your loved ones at The Cottages.
If you are unvaccinated for COVID-19, it is absolutely essential that you maintain social distance and wear a mask at all times. If you are vaccinated; you may remove your mask and not distance yourself during your visit with your vaccinated loved one in their rooms or outside.
Please note, we are still requested by the CDC and WI DHS to require all guests to wear a mask at all times in common areas. It is also essential that if you have any COVID-19 symptoms or have possible exposure to someone who has COVID-19 that you refrain from visiting. The responsibility of keeping our residents healthy and happy is our highest priority and we take that very seriously. We still meet and discuss COVID-19 and what we are doing as a company on a regular basis and this will not stop until the pandemic is over; whenever that may be.
Lastly; we would like to encourage anyone who has not yet been vaccinated yet; to please consider doing so. We also encourage you to talk to your primary care physician or someone with Public Health, of the WI Department of Health Services for the most accurate information. Your primary care physician is the medical professional who knows you best and will be your best resource to discuss the vaccine to determine if it is the right thing for you. We ask this because when we have a COVID outbreak it is devastating to our residents, families and teams. Please continue to Be Kind. Be Supportive. Be Understanding and Please get vaccinated. We thank you for your support and understanding that everything we are trying to do is with the best of intentions to keep our Residents and Staff healthy and safe.
Campus-wide Visitation pause (01/06/22)
DHS update: keeping visitation open with positive cases (09/29/21)
Our reasoning for open visitation with positive isolated individuals is that stopping visitation only increases our residents desire and need to go out of the building which we feel is more dangerous than people coming in to visit their loved ones. Because we have the confirmed cases isolated, which is something we cannot do in a memory care setting; we felt this was the right approach. DHS also says that if the cases can be isolated to a room or wing then visitation should be allowed in the other areas as much as possible.
Masking & Visitation Update (06/18/21)
Effective immediately, The Cottages is making the change to our policy that fully vaccinated visitors do not need to wear a face-covering while visiting with a fully vaccinated resident in their room or outside away from others. This change aligns with current CDC rules for long term care. We are optimistic that the WI Dept of Health Services will be also releasing new guidance soon and look forward to continuing to open our communities further and welcoming our family & friends back to The Cottages. Thank you for your support.
statement on cdc guidance, masking & visitation (05/14/21)
Hello Everyone; in light of the recent CDC guidance release stating that for the most part, fully vaccinated individuals no longer are required to wear masks indoors; it is important to note that health care facilities are exempt from this. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services also released a statement that they are working on guidance based off of the CDC’s new recommendations and will release those as soon as possible. At this time; our policy for visitors is unchanged and we are still requiring visitors to wear masks during their visit regardless of vaccination status. Please know we are continually monitoring the recommendations set forth for us and discussing our procedures with regularity. If and when anything changes; we will diligently work to ensure all are informed of any changes. Thank you all for your understanding and patience while we navigate through the exciting process of returning to normal!
Visitation Update from Cara Peterson, The Cottages General Manager (03/10/21)
I am pleased to announce that as of Feb 19, 2021 those Residents and staff at The Cottages who chose to receive the vaccination have completed the 2 doses and recommended wait time for immunity. Although we will still require guests to wear masks and social distance, we have relaxed our visitation policy at all 3 locations. Please contact the facility you wish to visit directly for their specific visitation schedules. We are so happy to take this first step in welcoming you back to The Cottages.
Vaccine Update from Cara Peterson, The Cottages General Manager (01/21/21)
The Cottages Assisted Living & Memory Care continue our dedication to keep COVID 19 from our facilities. With extensive infection control procedures and hour by hour monitoring of our Residents and our staff, we have worked tirelessly to protect our Cottages family.
At the beginning of this pandemic, we established a COVID Team consisting of our RN Georgia LaBrosse, Phil Anderson our Maintenance/Safety Director, Tom Kosman Executive Director and myself. Since March 2020 we have immersed ourselves in education on infection control, DHS changes in regulations/direction, many local hospitals, Public Health and State weekly conference call updates, and now the Pharmacy Partnership Program for vaccination.
I have been in frequent contact with DHS, our Wisconsin Assisted Living Association, our State Representatives and our vaccinating pharmacies to do everything in my power to secure the vaccinations. To date, The Cottages at Lake Park in Marinette received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine last week, and The Cottages at MeadowLands and Golden Pond will be January 28th and 29th. I am aware that DHS will release the vaccine to those 65 and older on Monday January 25th, however due to DHS choosing to allow only the Pharmacist vaccination capability, the delay was beyond our control. We are very thankful to ValuCare and Streu’s Pharmacy, who prioritized The Cottages facilities for scheduling vaccination clinics.
The Cottages COVID Team is working on a post vaccination plan so after our required waiting period for effectiveness we will be a step closer to seeing you! When that plan is developed we will inform you immediately so you know what to expect.
Tom and I welcome any of your comments or suggestions on ways to move forward and restore our Cottages family visitations. We are as anxious as you are!
Thank you for your patience and your overwhelming support!
Statement from Cara Peterson, the Cottages General Manager (9/24/20)
Hello to all our Cottages families, friends and those of who are interested in learning about what we do at The Cottages Assisted Living & Memory Care. During this challenging time of COVID 19, The Cottages has dedicated itself to protecting residents, staff and their families by being properly prepared and trained to face the changes this virus brings to our part of the world.
Rest assured, right now we are stocked with medical PPE and testing kits to rapidly respond to any positive COVID 19 case we would have. Our dedicated staff has been quick to advise us of any potential exposures in their lives and that has given us comfort knowing they are always thinking of the health of our residents at The Cottages. If we do have any concerns of exposure, we activate use of KN95 masks which has, to date, been very effective, along with our current procedures, in containing the spread of COVID 19.
We at The Cottages understand that not visiting with your loved one is of great concern to you. It is to us as well. We are thinking outside the box with this topic and as of Sept 21st we have started what’s called a “clean room” for inside visitation during inclement weather and for winter. This is new and frightening for us because we have worked so very hard to keep this virus out, however we do understand the need of family love. Please be patient as we work through these changes with the rest of the world in finding the right way to keep our residents, your loved ones, and our staff and their families safe from COVID 19. Rest assured, every Cottages employee is doing everything they can to lessen the impact this virus has had on all our families. We ask the same of you if you plan on visiting us. Please follow our policies and lessen your risk of exposure in the community you live in. Unfortunately if we have ONE suspected or positive case of COVID 19 we will have to suspend visitation again per DHS and go back to square one.
We appreciate all the continued support, prayers and love shown to our staff at The Cottages. They are truly the heroes in this story. Tom and I, with the rest of the COVID Team will continue to diligently educate ourselves with the latest innovations and ideas as well as local community and state happenings on COVID 19 pandemic, testing and treatments. At this time we are in the process of installing UV light air purifiers in our HVAC systems in all buildings for the protection of our staff, residents and visitors. The Cottages is dedicated to providing quality care as well as quality air!
Thank you for trusting us with the care of your family member. It is truly an honor for us.
Cara Peterson
Cottages General Manager
carap@thecottagescare.com
Cottages COVID team: Georgia LaBrosse RN, Tom Kosman Executive Director, Phil Anderson Maintenance & Safety Director, Cara Peterson GM
Facebook Video Updates on Covid-19
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