Village at Belmar

Senior Living Blog & Events

COVID-19 Update – June 10, 2022

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Dear Village at Belmar Community,

We are writing to inform you that we had zero residents again and one new associate that have tested positive from the testing completed on Monday, June 6, 2022. We are happy to say that is two rounds of testing with zero residents and our associate is recovering at home. We will continue to test every three to four days until we have three rounds of testing in which all residents and associates are negative. Our next testing will be Monday, June 13, 2022 .

As a reminder we will be holding our 3rd booster clinic next Wednesday, June 15th 9a-1pm. It will be held in the Life Enrichment room on 2nd floor. Please use the link below to register you and/or your loved one. If you are unsure if you or your loved one is eligible, please reach out to me.

https://www.comassvax.org//appointment/en/reg/3012685369

Some exciting news….. we plan to re-open our assisted living dining room, Wednesday, barring no surprises on Covid testing. We look forward to welcoming everyone back who is up to date with their vaccines. We are waiting until Wednesday so that everyone has the chance to get their booster and join us. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions, please reach out to me, Beth Williams, Interim Executive Director, at 303-351-5455 or Beth@ascentlc.com.

5 Ways Art Can Improve Your Health

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When patients first arrive for art therapy, Meera Rastogi invariably hears their misgivings about their lack of talent. “They all say, ‘I’m horrible. It’s going to look ridiculous,’ ” said Rastogi, psychology professor and coordinator of the University of Cincinnati’s Pre-Art Therapy Certificate Program.

Rastogi assures patients repeatedly that therapy carries no pressure to create museum-worthy masterpieces. Her favorite quote preaches that being bad at something is a prerequisite to becoming good at it. Moreover, the goal of art therapy is to improve one’s health.

In recent years, research has uncovered a range of health and wellness benefits for older adults who engage with arts, according to Rastogi and other experts. In the past decade, scholarly understanding has deepened greatly, but there is room for further elucidation, they note.

“There’s lots of evidence that taking part in a creative or arts-based program can benefit older adults in the community and in nursing homes,” said Jess Bone, a research fellow in epidemiology and statistics at University College London (UCL).

Bone and her colleagues have found that older adults who go to concerts, plays or galleries; participate in community arts groups; or pursue hobbies regularly show increased satisfaction with life and have a more positive mood plus a stronger belief in being able to achieve desired outcomes.

These activities, in turn, “are associated with a lower chance of developing dementia, depression, becoming frail, being lonely and premature mortality,” Bone said.
To learn more about the ways art can benefit your help, from AARP, CLICK HERE.

COVID-19 Update – June 6, 2022

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Dear Village at Belmar Community,

We are writing to inform you that we had zero residents and one new associate that have tested positive from the testing completed on June 2, 2022. Our associate is recovering at home. We will continue to test every three to four days until we have three rounds of testing in which all residents and associates are negative. Our next testing will be Thursday, June 9.

Our results from Thursday were much improved and hopefully we will continue that trend with our testing today. We are working on plans with Culinary on when it will be safe to open dining. We will see how today’s testing turns out.

I mentioned in a communication last week that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has adopted the CDC’s definition of “up to date.”  CDC’s new definition states that to be “up to date” means you have had any, and all doses, recommended by the CDC.  For most adults over 50, that means 2 dose series and two booster doses.   You are eligible for the 2nd booster 4 months after the 1st.  The important thing to note is if you are a resident and not “up to date” during an outbreak you are not able to join in activities or communal dining, also if you are out over 24 hours you will need to quarantine and take lab-based PCR test and rapid antigen tests.   If you or your loved one were positive with COVID during our last clinic you are eligible 1 week later so all residents should be eligible. 

In light of the new guidance, we will be holding our 3rd booster clinic next Wednesday, June 15th 9a-1pm.  It will be held in the Life Enrichment room on 2nd floor.  Please use the link below to register you and/or your loved one. 

https://www.comassvax.org//appointment/en/reg/3012685369

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.  If you have any further questions, please reach out to me, Beth Williams, Interim Executive Director, at 303-351-5455 or Beth@ascentlc.com. 

Warm regards,

Beth Williams, Interim Executive Director

COVID-19 Update – June 2, 2022

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Dear Village at Belmar Community,

We are writing to inform you that we have 2 new residents and 3 new associates that have tested positive from the testing completed on May 30, 2022. Residents and staff are all recovering at home. We will continue to test every three to four days until we have three rounds of testing in which all residents and associates are negative. Our next testing will be Thursday and again on Monday.

As a reminder, at the recommendation from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, we have made the decision to close the dining rooms until further notice. For the residents that are not on isolation, they will be able to move around the community and participate in socially distanced activities.

Although visitation may continue according to guidance from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) we strongly encourage all families and friends to be very cautious in making the decision to visit because so many people are asymptomatic and can be contagious without realizing it. Please carefully consider the number of visitors as well as the frequency of visits. Per guidance all visiting needs to be completed in the resident’s suites and not in any common areas at this time.
For residents, now is a time to be extra vigilant in following recommendations:

• Always wear a mask when indoors except when you are in your own apartment.
• Avoid large family groups.
• Maintain 6’ social distance with others whenever possible.
• Frequently sanitize your hands.
• We encourage all residents who have not received the booster to schedule it. We are happy are happy to assist you in this process. Please come see us.

We will continue to stay in close communication with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and specialists at Jefferson County and follow their direction and protocols. We will notify you as any changes are made.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions, please reach
out to me, Beth Williams, Interim Executive Director, at 303-351-5455 or Beth@ascentlc.com.

Warm Regards,

Beth Williams,
Interim Executive Director

COVID-19 Update – May 28, 2022

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May 28, 2022 

Dear Village at Belmar Community, 

We are writing to inform you that we have 1 new resident and 2 new staff members that have tested positive from the testing completed on May 26th. Residents and staff are all recovering at home. We will continue to test every three to four days until we have three rounds of testing in which all residents and associates are negative. Our next testing will be Monday and again on Thursday. 

After a recommendation from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, we have made the decision to close the dining rooms until further notice. For the residents that are not on isolation, they will be able to move around the community and participate in socially distanced activities. 

Although visitation may continue according to guidance from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) we strongly encourage all families and friends to be very cautious in making the decision to visit because so many people are asymptomatic and can be contagious without realizing it. Please carefully consider the number of visitors as well as the frequency of visits. All visiting needs to be completed in the resident’s suites and not in any common areas. 

For residents, now is a time to be extra vigilant in following recommendations: 

  • Always wear a mask when indoors except when you are in your own apartment. 
  • Avoid large family groups. 
  • Maintain 6’ social distance with others whenever possible. 
  • Frequently sanitize your hands. 
  • We encourage all residents who have not received the booster to schedule it. We are happy are happy to assist you in this process. Please come see us. 

We will continue to stay in close communication with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and specialists at Jefferson County and follow their direction and protocols. We will notify you as any changes are made. 

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions, please reach out to me, Beth Williams, Interim Executive Director, at 303-351-5455 or Beth@ascentlc.com. 

Warm Regards, 

 Beth Williams, Interim Executive Director 

COVID-19 Update – May 24, 2022

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Dear Village at Belmar Community,

Our testing results from Thursday May 19th, revealed that we have 3 residents that have tested positive. We completed another round of testing on Monday May 23, 2022 and are awaiting results. We are monitoring our residents closely and working closely with their physicians. A very important reminder is to wash your hands frequently and when you are in our community make sure to keep your mask on.

After a recommendation from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, we have made the decision to close the Assisted Living dining room until further notice. For the residents that are not on isolation, they will be able to move around the community and participate in socially distanced activities.

With these new positive cases we are still considered to be in outbreak status, guidance from The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) requires us to test all residents and associates for COVID-19 twice weekly until we have no further cases. We will inform you of the results of this testing which we usually receive within 48 hours.

If we have any additional positive residents or associates, we will continue to complete contact tracing and test all residents and associates twice weekly.

COVID transmission rates in many counties of Colorado are increasing as the new variant Omicron BA2 becomes the major variant. It is even more contagious than the original Omicron variant. This is occurring just as many of us are being more relaxed in our prevention strategies. For this reason, vaccination and boosters are becoming even more important. There are many locations where you can receive an initial vaccine and/or a 3rd booster shot free of charge. Most retail pharmacies provide them.

We encourage all residents and visitors to be especially careful at this time. Please do not visit if you are not feeling well or have had an exposure yourself. Please avoid larger numbers of people when out in the community.

I can’t express to you how grateful we are for your support and understanding during this time.

If you have any questions, please let me know. 303-351-5455

Sincerely,

Rebecca Norris, ED