Village at Belmar

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COVID-19 Update – December 28, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.

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December 28, 2020 at 4:30 pm

Dear Village at Belmar Community,

We wanted to provide an update to all of you regarding our community Covid-19 status. Over the weekend we received positive test results on three additional assisted living residents. This brings the total number of Assisted Living Covid-19 positive residents to eight, with six being cared for at the community by the Staffing Bubble Team and two being treated at the hospital.  Results of staff testing from last week have all been negative.  To assist with tracing the source of the recent positive resident cases, our multi-disciplinary clinical and leadership team members met this morning for a “deep-dive” conversation related to our current screening and testing protocols of all essential workers (Hospice, Private Caregiver, etc.).   Revised safety measures and policies will be implemented as needed, based upon the results of this discussion.

We will continue with our bi-weekly staff testing to ensure that we are immediately aware of any associate who may be positive, but asymptomatic. We will also continue with testing of any resident who is experiencing symptoms and will continue to require testing and/or testing results for allowable essential workers, although the number of these individuals serving residents has been minimal for the past nine months and is only allowed in emergent situations.

We will continue to provide updates to you throughout the week as changes take place.  

All outdoor visitation for the community continues to be on hold and we will conduct window visits for both Assisted Living and Memory Care. The Assisted Living dining room will remain closed and residents are being encouraged to remain in their apartments.

We have been in continued close communication with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Jefferson County Health Department and are following their direction and protocols, as well as those of our Medical Consultant, Dr. Gagandeep Singh.  Staff continue use of masks and PPE, and our leadership team is fully engaged in providing ongoing education and follow-up to ensure its proper use.

Please remember that you can always check our Hotline for regular updates and those can be heard at (720) 545-0363.

If you have any further questions, please reach out to Village at Belmar’s Executive Director, Rebecca Norris, at (303) 351-5455.

Sincerely,

Tom Finley and Susie Finley

COVID-19 Update – December 24, 2020 at 4 p.m.

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 December 24, 2020 at 4:00 pm

Dear Village at Belmar Community,

We’re providing you an update regarding our community Covid-19 status. Based on the surveillance testing results from testing completed this week , we have identified four additional Assisted Living residents as positive for Covid-19. These residents are being cared for by the Bubble Staffing team who will work exclusively with these residents.

Results from staff testing this week have all been negative, and we currently have no staff members out of the community due to Covid-19 or related symptoms.

We will continue with testing of all residents and associates twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays, over the next few weeks. 

 Outdoor visitation continues to be on hold and window visits and FaceTime calls will be in place during this time. The Assisted Living dining room will also remain closed and residents are being encouraged to remain in their apartments unless they are being escorted to participate in a window visit with the proper PPE.

We have been in continued close communication with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Jefferson County Health Department and are following their direction and protocols, as well as those of our Medical Consultant, Dr. Gagandeep Singh.

If you have any further questions, please reach out to Village at Belmar’s Executive Director, Rebecca Norris, at (303) 351-5455. 

Sincerely, 

Tom Finley and Susie Finley

12 Facts About Strokes That Everyone Should Be Aware Of

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Strokes are exceedingly common in older adults and yet, very few people actually understand what a stroke actually is. A stroke is described as a ‘brain attack’ and it occurs when the blood supply to an area of the brain is cut off. Blood carries oxygen and essential nutrients around your body, including to your brain, and when this supply is cut off, brain cells can become damaged or can die.

A stroke can impact how your mind and bodywork, impacting both your physical and mental health. There’s a common misconception that strokes only affect seniors when that isn’t the case – strokes are more likely in older people as our arteries narrow as we age and can get blocked more easily but a younger person’s arteries can still get blocked.

To learn 12 key facts about strokes from CLH Healthcare that everyone should know, CLICK HERE.

Four Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability

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Most people tend to focus on one type of exercise or activity and think they’re doing enough. Research has shown that it’s important to get all four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Each one has different benefits. Doing one kind also can improve your ability to do the others, and variety helps reduce boredom and risk of injury.

To learn more about each of these key types of exercise and how they can improve your health and physical ability, CLICK HERE.

Why Older Adults Should Eat More Protein (And Not Overdo Protein Shakes)

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Older adults need to eat more protein-rich foods when losing weight, dealing with a chronic or acute illness, or facing a hospitalization, according to a growing consensus among scientists.

During these stressful periods, aging bodies process protein less efficiently and need more of it to maintain muscle mass and strength, bone health and other essential physiological functions.

Even healthy seniors need more protein than when they were younger to help preserve muscle mass, experts suggest. To learn more about the impact and importance of protein in a senior’s diet, CLICK HERE.

Sleep Loss Can Encourage Spread of Toxic Alzheimer’s Protein

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In addition to memory loss and confusion, many people with Alzheimer’s disease have trouble sleeping. A National Institutes of Health-funded team of researchers has evidence that the reverse is also true: a chronic lack of sleep may worsen the disease and its associated memory loss.

The new findings center on a protein called tau, which accumulates in abnormal tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. In the healthy brain, active neurons naturally release some tau during waking hours, but it normally gets cleared away during sleep. Essentially, your brain has a system for taking the garbage out while you’re off in dreamland.

To read this entire National Institute of Aging story, CLICK HERE.