Community Updates for Week of 5/2/2022

February 3, 2023

Updates to Residents 5/3/2022

Health Services Forum May 4

• CPR-What You Need to Know
• Do Not Resuscitate Forms/Stickers
• Stephens Care Center Update with Beth Stewart, Director of Nursing
• Health Fit Program with Matt Baloun, Rehab Director
• Ohio Living Home Health Update
• Questions and Answers with Georgia Newman, Medical Director

County Positivity Rate Continues to Increase

The Lorain County positivity rate increased from 5.5% last week to 8.9% today. We continue to monitor this, acknowledging this is more than likely a short-term increase in the greater community. We are well protected as a community with an exceptional fully vaccinated rate among residents and staff members. As Georgia Newman, MD, pointed out to us last week, our County Positivity rate may be higher than what is being reported, since so many are now doing home tests that are not reported to the health department and many are assuming mild symptoms may only be a cold. Since we remain above 5% in the greater community, we continue with the simple precaution of wearing masks in public areas to protect the most vulnerable among us.

During the past week, we have had two staff members test positive for COVID. One Independent Living staff member at the end of last week and one Stephens Care Center staff member at the beginning of this week. We have one more Stephens Care Center staff member that we suspect may be positive for COVID, test results are pending at press time. Contact tracing has been completed on each of these staff members. We continue to test all Stephens Care Center staff members and Independent Living staff members that have routine contact with residents twice per week as part of our continuing pro-active COVID mitigation program. COVID detected cases continue to be very mild, and we are grateful.

Please be safe when out in the general community, being aware of potential community spread.

Wordly Wise Wins United Way Spelling Bee

Congratulations and thank you to Kendal’s Wordly Wise team! Robin Lauren, Nancy MacRae, and Kari Inglis gave their time and amazing spelling expertise to win the United Way of Lorain County’s Spelling Bee. We celebrate the success of United Way’s Bee in support of community collaboratives focused on kindergarten readiness and middle school success. The event raised close to $22,000. Thank you to all who donated.

Dining Update

Greg Zehe, Director of Hospitality Services & Assoc. Administrator

Mother’s Day Reservations

As a reminder, please submit your reservation form by tomorrow, Wednesday May 4. Lisa Wilken is putting together groups now and invites you to call (775-9801) or email lwilken@kao.kendal.org if you are a single person looking for a group to join.

Please wear your nametag in the Dining Room

Often, the staff are looking for you by name to bring your meal to you. Your nametag serves the friendly purpose of knowing you by name, saves them time and eliminates mistakes. Thanks for your cooperation!

Staffing

In the past week, two new day-shift staff have completed the orientation requirements and are now working. These are the most difficult positions to fill, and we are pleased to see our recruiting efforts bear fruit. We have several more student candidates completing their new hire requirements who will soon join the dinner serving team.

The long road from interview to first day of work – Getting the best takes time!

Kendal looks for the best candidates, but that is only the beginning of the process. After two interviews, the candidates then provide us with their references. For students, the process is less involved as they are asked to provide a minimum of two personal references since this is often their first employment. Full-time positions must complete an electronic SkillSurvey process with a minimum of four references, two of which must be prior supervisors and two prior co-workers or other work acquaintances. In addition, before attending New Hire Orientation, a new employee must have a current COVID vaccination and a Work Permit (if a minor student); undergo a drug test; give fingerprints for a criminal background check; have a COVID test; two different tests for Tuberculosis; and be up to date on their influenza vaccine.

Once these requirements are met, the candidate is scheduled for New Hire Orientation, which totals almost 9 hours of intensive training on consecutive afternoon sessions. Additional online training is also assigned within their initial 90-day orientation period.

Supply Chain Challenges this week

• Fresh produce shortages/quality issues are present for carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, and green peppers.
• The quality and shelf-life of bananas has been impacted by delays in shipping.

Compost and Green Container Collection is Moving to Langston

We are experiencing a big problem with fruit flies at the collection point in the Heiser Lounge. After studying the issue, the best solution is to move the compost and container collection to the dish return belt located in the corner of the Langston near the door. The door will be open throughout the day so that you may place these items on the belt.  Many of you will remember this routine from our pre-pandemic days. Thanks for your cooperation! 

Housekeeping/ Laundry News

Staffing Update

We are seeing improvements in staffing levels and can report that the Laundry and Independent Services teams are both still fully staffed at this time. We are working to fill an opening in the Stephens Care Center Services team and two openings in the PM Services team. Applicant flow does seem to be improving and this is an improvement from the situation we faced throughout the pandemic.

Fitness Center News

A Closer Look at Kendal’s Fitness Program

Interested in getting to know the Fitness Staff? Take a look at the Bulletin Board in the main hallway (between the receptionist’s desk and the Hair Salon). There will you see pictures, fun facts, and bios of Fitness staff. While you are there, take a moment to post a Fitness or Wellness Goal that you have achieved in the past, are working toward in the present, or some of each!

Pool Closure

The Pools will be CLOSED May 2 through May 5 for Maintenance and draining. Apologies for the late notice.

New Pool Class starts May 9

A NEW Pool schedule starts on May 9 with our newest instructor Donna Boucher teaching an Aqua Fit class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-10:15 AM. Sara Millman will still be teaching Water Aerobics on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8:30-9:15 AM and Water Arthritis on Monday and Wednesday from 8:30-9:15 AM. Come join us!

Fitness Survey

The survey will go out May 11. Please participate. We look forward to getting to know your preferences and needs better, getting your feedback, and can’t wait to share the findings with you at the June Fitness and Wellness talk! We need YOU in order to build programming around your needs. The results of the survey will help us build an updated schedule for summer.

Another Fitness Open House

The last open house was such a success and so much fun, we decided to do another one! So, if you missed the first one, join us on May 18 between 1:00 and 7:00 PM. It was so nice to meet newer residents and staff and see (old) FAMILIAR and new faces coming back to the Fitness Center.

Other Announcements

Friendly reminder on How to Detail Your Address for Deliveries to Kendal

When you arrange for a delivery to Kendal, be sure to use 600 Kendal Drive AND your Unit number. With 50 or more packages being delivered on a light day, staff can more efficiently place packages for ease of pickup if you would please include your Unit number. For example: Mary Smith, 600 Kendal Drive #42, Oberlin Ohio, 44074.

Landfill Smells Coming Your Way? 

The Lorain County Public Health Department (LCPHD) and the Ohio EPA need your help to identify and control recent noxious odors coming from the Lorain County Landfill which is less than 2 miles east of KaO.

Odors need to be reported on the LCPHD website: www.loraincountyhealth.com. There select “contact us.” Enter contact information and select “Report Landfill or Compost Odor.” The expanded menu asks for your location and the time when you smelled the odor. There is a Comments/Questions box to describe the smell and add additional comments. Select “submit.”

Your report is then registered with LCPHD in Elyria and the Ohio EPA simultaneously. The data submitted is mapped and correlated with weather and waste load deposits and provides vital information on maintaining a healthy environment and a responsibly managed landfill. After over 200 bad odor complaints since the beginning of the year, each load is now screened for noxious odor.

An alternative is to call Justin Carpenter, registered sanitarian, of the LCPHD (440-322-6367) and talk to him directly. For more information contact me: David Dauphiné david1212@me.com

A second landfill “mountain” is being constructed closer to the bike trail on the north side of Butternut Ridge Road. The bad odor is obvious from the trail on most days. If you wish to acquaint yourself with the odor that is occasionally noticeable on our campus when the wind comes from the east, you can drive to the landfill on Butternut Ridge Road.

Covid News/ Statistics

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

Recommended Reading: 

U.S. no longer in ‘full-blown’ pandemic phase, Fauci says

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/27/pandemic-phase-over-fauci-covid/

More on COVID Testing Improvements to Come

Medscape reviews the newest tests for COVID, those that already have an EUA from FDA and those in the pipeline, that are able to improve accuracy and get results more quickly and more easily. Use this link.

Growing evidence that Long COVID is occurring more often in older individuals than in the general population.

 Read the article here.

FDA Continues to Evaluate Drugs to treat COVID

The FDA has pulled the Smith-Kline-Glaxo COVID drug because it is ineffective against the BA.2 variant.  Two other drugs were removed from the approved list in January.  A general consensus is that 72% of new COVID cases are due to the new variant. More info.  

Covid deaths no longer overwhelmingly among the unvaccinated as toll on elderly grows. Experts say numbers show importance of boosters — and the risks the most vulnerable still face

(The Washington Post)  Unvaccinated people accounted for the overwhelming majority of deaths in the United States throughout much of the coronavirus pandemic. But that has changed in recent months, according to a Washington Post analysis of state and federal data. The pandemic’s toll is no longer falling almost exclusively on those who chose not to or could not get shots, with vaccine protection waning over time and the elderly and immunocompromised — who are at greatest risk of succumbing to covid-19, even if vaccinated — having a harder time dodging increasingly contagious strains...

“It’s still absolutely more dangerous to be unvaccinated than vaccinated,” said Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at the University of California at Irvine who studies covid-19 mortality.“A pandemic of — and by — the unvaccinated is not correct. People still need to take care in terms of prevention and action if they became symptomatic.”

A key explanation for the rise in deaths among the vaccinated isthat covid-19 fatalities are again concentrated among the elderly. Nearly two-thirds of the people who died during the omicron surge were 75 and older, according to a Post analysis, compared with a third during the delta wave. Seniors are overwhelmingly immunized, but vaccines are less effective and their potency wanes over time in older age groups. Read more here.

The Latest COVID News from Oberlin College

From Campus Update on April 27 (https://www.oberlin.edu/obiesafe)  After seeing a rapid increase in spread and potential academic disruption last week, the campus community is experiencing a slowing of COVID-19 spread this week with dramatically fewer cases being reported on Monday and Tuesday. Hospitalizations remain at zero.

Oberlin College reinstated indoor mask requirements in all campus buildings last week, with special exceptions granted to some academics and athletics activities. Note that:

• The Conservatory resumed use of performance masks for COVID-19 exposed brass and wind players and is requiring daily rapid tests when appropriate for ensembles rehearsing or performing when masking is not possible.
• The Theater Department has adopted professional theater industry practices with daily rapid tests for student performers and crew rehearsing or performing.