Community Update for week of 1/16/2023

January 19, 2023

Update to residents on 1/17/2023

Martin Luther King, Jr Day was Yesterday

Here are just three quotes as we remember and reflect on the work on Martin Luther King, Jr.  Much work remains for us to do to achieve his dream…

• Birmingham, AL, 1963: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

• The Selma March, 1965: I know you are asking today, “How long will it take?” … How long? Not long, because you still reap what you sow … because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

• “Where do we go from here”, 1966: Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.”

BE LOVE is a growing movement of courageous acts to achieve justice. It is a movement board amid the immense uncertainty and global tension of the past year, to help society answer three critical questions facing humanity:

1. Who must we be?
2. What must we do?
3. What are we to accomplish?

Read more at The King Center:  https://thekingcenter.org/

Understandable Confusion on Mask-Wearing

We’ve been living with this pandemic burden now for just shy of 3 years! During that time there have been plenty of changes with practices needing to be off and on based on changing circumstances. Last week, we were still rated as HIGH contagion in Lorain County (over 10%). The latest variants are said to be crazy contagious!

Our Heiser Building is still under a mask mandate when walking in common halls, where many residents need to pick up their mail etc. Yes, there are many residents that are not able to accept the risk of dining or various activities that pose risk.

The Apartment Building is not “Heiser” and is the home to more than 60 individuals. While wearing masks in the apartments is required of guests, staff, contractors, etc., masks are completely optional for residents living in the Apartment Building or walking through.  

Does that increase the level of risk? – yes of course! These practices are trying to balance the practicality of living in a space mixed with use by “outsiders” for much more brief periods.

Long COVID? 

This last year we have had many more residents diagnosed with COVID. Based on reports of IL residents, 20% of our IL residents have had COVID.  We are grateful that recovery has been relatively smooth for the large majority and that hospitalization, while possible is no longer the serious threat it once was. But we would like to learn how many residents believe they meet the symptoms of long COVID. If you believe you have symptoms of this nature, can you please submit your name to our Health and Wellness Clinic and we will follow-up with a survey specifically to learn more from your experience. There are medical articles that help to distinguish what is considered long COVID and a summary below. Please respond if you believe you fall into this category. We will share results once we have them.

Long COVID or Post COVID Conditions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

People with post-COVID conditions can have a wide range of symptoms that can last weeks, months, or even years after infection. Sometimes the symptoms can even go away or come back again. Post-COVID conditions may not affect everyone the same way. People with post-COVID conditions may experience health problems from different types and combinations of symptoms happening over different lengths of time. Though most patients’ symptoms slowly improve with time, speaking with your healthcare provider about the symptoms you are experiencing post-COVID could help identify new medical conditions.

People who experience post-COVID conditions most commonly report:

General symptoms (Not a Comprehensive List)

• Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life
• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort (also known as “post-exertional malaise”)
• Fever

Respiratory and heart symptoms

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Cough
• Chest pain
• Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)

Neurological symptoms

• Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)
• Headache
• Sleep problems
• Dizziness when you stand up (lightheadedness)
• Pins-and-needles feelings
• Change in smell or taste
• Depression or anxiety

Digestive symptoms

• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain

Other symptoms

• Joint or muscle pain
• Rash
• Changes in menstrual cycles

Read more on Long COVID on this CDC website:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html

Also see: Long COVID clinical trials may offer shortcut to new treatments (Shared by Judy Appleton):https://www.mdedge.com/fedprac/article/260491/covid-19-updates/long-covid-clinical-trials-may-offer-shortcut-new-treatments?ecd=WNLPD_FEDPRAC_230111_mdedge

Dining Update

Greg Zehe, Director of Hospitality Services & Assoc. Administrator

How is the egg shortage affecting us?

We are seeing the same historically high prices from our suppliers that you will encounter in the grocery store, but we have not had to deal with the shortages to the same extent because the inventory of liquid eggs has been more stable than the supply of shell eggs. At Kendal, we use 3 types of eggs; regular shell eggs, pasteurized shell eggs and liquid eggs, which are also pasteurized. The regular eggs are used for baking while the pasteurized shell or liquid eggs are used for individual servings or any recipe that requires pooled eggs (many eggs cracked and mixed together). The pasteurization protects residents from Salmonella caused by undercooked eggs (over easy, poached, under-done omelet, etc.)

Changes to the Lunch Menu

Last week we met with the Dining Matters Committee. They shared feedback received to add at least one lunch item to the lunch menus and the interest in resuming Thursday Pizza Day (not to be confused with the one-time- only Lorenzo’s Pizza Day described below). We heard them and agreed to implement these suggestions.

Thanks for your patience as we had to update the week’s menus with these changes. Many don’t realize how difficult it is to update a menu posting. Any changes to the menus need to be updated in several places including WKAO, the Blue Book, the posted menus, the KORA website and in Viibrant. The menus on the KORA website are particularly difficult as they must be entered by hand. You will understand how easy it is to make an error in one place or another and why we are anxious to move toward Viibrant as the single source for menu information!

Mark your calendars for the Valentine’s Day Buffet

We had great comments on the holiday buffets so we are planning a holiday buffet on Sunday, February 12^th for Valentine’s Day. We will ask for reservations and the price will be $24.95 just like Christmas and New Year’s Day. More information to come….

Housekeeping Update

Although it is not recommended, residents do occasionally choose to opt out of the regular housekeeping services. We would like to invite residents who have opted out to reconsider and resume their biweekly cleanings. If you are interested in having modified services, we can discuss just what type of services housekeeping can provide. Please reach out to Crystal Hall at cyhall@kao.kendal.org or phone 440-775-9199.

Other Announcements

Ice Melter Update

Since our last snowstorm we have received several questions regarding the type of ice melter we are using and if it has changed?  During the last storm the harsh conditions were not favorable for the Grounds crew to use the liquid deicer (Entry) on the covered walkways. Instead we used Alied ice melter, which is a green product like the liquid, but in granular form, providing longer lasting results and better traction. KAO has been using these products, along with rock salt, for the roads and parking lots for 4-5 years. Weather conditions dictate which product will give us the desired results for the safest possible travel around campus. While we prefer to use the liquid on the covered walks, when the situation calls for granular the Grounds team will do our absolute best to clean it up in a timely manner to minimize the amount tracked into resident homes. – Dan Baker, Grounds Manager

Packages in the Mail Room

We’re doing our best to make sure it is easy for you to find your packages in the Mail Room when you have some – but we need your help! We still get the occasional complaint that someone has a package notification slip but no package can be found; or they’ve gotten an email stating their package was delivered, but no package can be found. This is frustrating for everyone. Sometimes the delivery service (Amazon, etc.) sends an automated email saying your package was delivered – when in fact it was delivered, but to some other address! Sometimes the US Mail delivery person puts a slip in the wrong box – and it takes a while to unravel who should have gotten what. And sometimes (yes, really) a resident mistakenly picks up someone else’s package and doesn’t realize it until a day or two later. We are a forgiving and patient community. If you’ve mistakenly taken a package from the package room that belongs to someone else, please bring it back – no worries! I am glad to report that every time there seems to be a missing package, 99% of the time it shows up in a day or two. So patience is a virtue. -Dale Preston, Office Manager.

Lorenzo’s Pizza Day – Thursday, Jan 26

Interested to have some delicious Lorenzo’s pizza here at Kendal? Residents and staff are invited to participate in a group-order. Here is how it works: you pre-order what you would like from Lorenzo’s by filling in a form here at Kendal. All the pre-orders are lumped together and sent to Lorenzo’s in advance, so they know what to expect. The pizzas are then delivered between 10:30-11:30 am on January 26. The cost is billed to your account. Note: this is completely separate from your Meal Plan at Kendal. Orders are due by Monday, January 23. For more info, please contact Priscilla Steinberg.

Newcomers Introductions

On Wednesday, January 18th at 4 pm on KOTV, Priscilla Steinberg will Introduce new residents Bill Witter and Regina & Tom Shea.

Privacy Practices Notice

Kendal at Oberlin does make available a hard copy of its Privacy Practices regarding Protected Health Information at the Health and Wellness Clinic and in the Stephens Care Center. This notice is also available on our website: https://kao.kendal.org/about/financial-information-compliance/privacy-policy/

Upcoming Museum Trip opportunity

Dear Kendal lovers of art, history, and flowers,

We were planning a bus trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art in April for the Art of Elizabethan England exhibit but have decided to schedule it for March 7 instead, when you will also have the option to see a splendid orchid exhibit at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens next door before it ends on March 12. This will allow you to spend the whole day at the art museum or at the Botanical Gardens, or divide your time between the two beautiful venues.  Each has a café.   

The timeframe to assess resident interest in this trip is tight, so please review the flyer for the agenda and costs and sign up on the sheet under the open mailboxes by January 30 if you would like to go. On January 31, we’ll decide if the trip has sufficient interest to make it a “go” and start collecting $35 per person for the bus, which will be due by February 8.  

Here is some information about what you can see:

About the Botanical Gardens and Orchids Forever

https://holdenfg.org/cleveland-botanical-garden/gardens-and-attractions/

About the Art of Elizabethan England exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art

https://www.clevelandart.org/exhibitions/tudors-art-and-majesty-renaissance-england

NOTE:  If this trip is confirmed, we will NOT visit the art museum on April 19. We hope you’ll consider this unusual opportunity.  Call either of us if you have questions. (Gerry Findlan or Kathy Hazelton)

COVID News/ Statistics

Governor Mike DeWine’s regular COVID Press Conferences: https://ohiochannel.org

Longevity isn’t so simple!

Why do women live longer than men? It’s more complicated than you think. Read the article here (advisory.com)

As COVID treatments dwindle, are new ones waiting in the wings?

(Shared by Judy Appleton): https://www.mdedge.com/fedprac/article/260086/covid-19-updates/covid-treatments-dwindle-are-new-ones-waiting-wings