COVID Updates & Resources

COVID Updates & Resources (updated 5/25/21)

Inn Staff Member Tests Positive (5/25)

This morning we learned that an Inn staff member tested positive for COVID. All residents and staff who may have been in close contact with the positive case, are being monitored for signs and symptoms. Per ongoing NYSDOH guidelines, the staff is required to be tested weekly.

We continue to enforce strict infection control measures including social distancing, masks, and hand hygiene.

We will be reaching out to the families whose loved ones have had direct contact with the staff member to cancel visits. These residents will be required to be under a 14-day observation.

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In-person visitation in the Jewish Home to resume TUESDAY, MAY 24 (5/24)

ALL VISITS MUST BE SCHEDULED. (For both Jewish Home and The Inn)
Families and friends should report to the front desk to complete their screening form, have their temperature taken, and be directed to their visit location.
Families must remain in the designated visitation area. They are not permitted to wander the facility.
Maximum of two visitors allowed at a single visit – NO EXCEPTIONS
You are NOT required to show proof of a negative COVID test
Visitors under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult
Maximum of one visit every 7 days per resident (Jewish Home only)
You must wear a mask over your nose and mouth at all times during the visit.
Link to schedule: https://book.appointment-plus.com/cx9qgshg?&e_id=4923&service_id=7057#/

Visitation Hours

Jewish Home Visits:
ONLINE APP: SCHEDULE JEWISH HOME VISIT
M-F: 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm
Sundays: 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm
Jewish Home Visitation Policy

Inn Visits:
ONLINE APP: SCHEDULE INN VISIT
Monday – Saturday
10 am, 11 am, 1:30 pm, 3:30 pm, and 6 pm
Inn_Visitation Policy

Outings and Virtual Visits Continue
Families also have the option of taking their loved ones off-campus for outings such as medical appointments, outings with family, etc. If you already scheduled an in-person visit, we will not schedule a virtual visit or an outing in the same week in order to accommodate all families.

Outings
During outings, both residents and families are expected to continue to follow infection control practices including wearing a mask, social distancing, and proper hand hygiene. (These are not scheduled using the online app.)

Details:

Off-campus visits are permitted Monday through Friday (NO WEEKENDS), between 10 am and 2 pm. Residents must be back by 2 pm.
We require at least 48-hour notice of your intent to take your loved one out so that we can be prepared.
Outing duration will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
If a family has not had safe resident transfer training, the resident MUST remain in the car for the duration of the outing.
We will not honor same-day visit requests.
Emailing desired dates and times to Menorah Park staff without speaking to nursing staff WILL NOT be considered a confirmed visit.
Schedule with nurse manager or unit secretary:

- 1^st floor: x198/129
- 2^nd floor: x131/140
- Terrace: x132/154

Virtual Visits
SJFS will continue to work with families to assist with video chats or phone calls on any given week that a resident does not have an outing or in-person visit with a family member. We are primarily offering these on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (1 – 5 PM) and ask that you please try to schedule on a weekend rather than a weekday if there are times available. Families are expected to coordinate with out-of-town family members to set up their own virtual calls while doing in-person visits. With the opening up of many SJFS programs that had been closed over the past year, along with the re-opening of in-person visits in the Jewish Home, SJFS is no longer able to accommodate as many virtual visits as in the past and cannot accommodate multiple family requests that could be addressed during in-person visits. We will continue to prioritize residents who have been unable to have recent in-person contact with their family members.

Please contact Ellen Somers, Asst. Director, via email (preferred) at somerse@sjfs.org or at (315) 446-9111, ext. 225.

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(May 13 Update)

Jewish Home In -Person, on-campus visits suspended until further notice

The health and safety of our residents, staff, and visitors are paramount. We are committed to transparency and mandatory notification; we are reporting an additional positive staff member.

We are proud of the fact that the Jewish Home has the second-highest vaccination rate in the County, with about 78% of our staff vaccinated. And we continue to educate and encourage our staff to get the vaccine, as well as making it available upon request.

All staff who are NOT vaccinated are required to wear full PPE everywhere in our building, whether they work with Jewish Home residents or not.

Unfortunately, we know all too well, that it only takes one staff member to send us back to square one.

Until further notice, no on-campus visits are permitted, with the exception of compassionate care and end-of-life visits.

When we have no new positives and can safely resume on-campus, in-person visitation, you will be notified. Until such time, you will be receiving automatic cancellations for previously scheduled visits between May 12 to May 21.

Outings and Virtual Visits Continue
Although on-campus visits are suspended, families can still take their loved ones off-campus for outings. You may also arrange for a virtual visit.

Outings

During outings, both residents and families are expected to continue to follow infection control practices including wearing a mask, social distancing, and proper hand hygiene.

Off-campus visits are permitted Monday through Friday (NO WEEKENDS), between 10 am and 2 pm. Residents must be back by 2 pm.
We require at least 48-hour notice of your intent to take your loved one out so that we can be prepared.
Outing duration will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
If a family has not had safe resident transfer training, the resident MUST remain in the car for the duration of the outing.
We will not honor same-day visit requests.
Emailing desired dates and times to Menorah Park staff without speaking to nursing staff will not be considered a confirmed visit.
Schedule with nurse manager or unit secretary:
- 1^st floor: x198/129
- 2^nd floor: x131/140
- Terrace: x132/154

Virtual Visits
SJFS will continue to work with families to assist with video chats or phone calls to the best of their ability. They can also help you to determine how best to make the most of the virtual visit ( i.e. coordinating with 2 or 3 family members for one call or having a 1:1 call with your loved one.) Please contact Ellen Somers, Asst. Director at (315) 446-9111, ext. 225 or via email at somerse@sjfs.org

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Compassionate Care Visits
The new NYSDOH guidelines do allow for compassionate care visits, which allow for exceptions to the current visitation guidelines in accordance with the Department of Health’s current guidance. Examples of compassionate care visits include but are not limited to:

A resident recently admitted to a nursing home and is struggling to adapt to the change in environment and lack of physical family support.
A resident who used to talk and interact with others is experiencing emotional distress, seldom speaking or crying more frequently.
A resident who is grieving after a friend or family member recently passed away.

The need for compassionate care visits will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Families should contact the administrator at x133
These are NOT end-of-life visits (see below).

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Family Visitation of Resident Who Is Actively Dying or Deceased
Our policy applies to any resident who has been designated by the Menorah Park medical staff as being in an actively dying stage.

9 am to 9 pm – 7 days a week for actively dying residents
Only 2 family members are permitted at one time so any additional family must wait outside (outdoors or in-car) for their turn.
All visitors must complete the screening process and have their temperature taken.
Once they enter the facility, following the screening, they are to go directly to the resident’s room and remain in the room until they leave the facility.
They are not permitted to be in shared spaces ( common areas, dining rooms, or other residents’ rooms, etc.)
They are required to wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times
Under 18 allowed accompanied by an adult over 18.

Dropping Items Off for Residents
Families are still welcome to drop off items for their loved ones at our main entrance.

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Vaccinated residents may leave the facility

Effective immediately, fully vaccinated residents may leave the Menorah Park campus for outings or appointments as long as they are back by 2 pm. Outings can include (medical appointments, community outings with family and friends, etc.) There are no weekend outings.

For residents who are not able to ambulate independently, for their safety, unless cleared by nursing or physical therapy, they must remain in the car for the entire outing. While we understand the benefits of quality time with family, it is our responsibility to keep our residents safe.

During outings, both residents and families are expected to continue to follow infection control practices including wearing a mask, social distancing, and proper hand hygiene.

Off-campus visits are permitted Monday through Friday (NO WEEKENDS), between 10 am and 2 pm. Residents must be back by 2 pm.
We require at least 48-hour notice of your intent to take your loved one out so that we can be prepared.
Outing duration will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
We will not honor same-day visit requests.
Emailing desired dates and times to Menorah Park staff without speaking to nursing staff will not be considered a confirmed visit.

Schedule with Nursing
To schedule a day outing, please call the appropriate nursing unit and speak to either the unit secretary or the nurse manager.

Nursing Units:

1^st floor: x198/129
2^nd floor: x131/140
Terrace: x132/154

On-campus visits must be scheduled
For visits on campus, families must continue to schedule through our online appointment system

Onsite Visitation
Visits are limited to 2 visits per resident per seven days. Multiple members of one resident’s family are not permitted to book multiple appointments within that seven-day window. We recommend that families rotate visits.

ALL VISITS require an appointment. Please email info@menorahparkofcny.com for a link to our online scheduling application
Please come to the main entrance and check-in at the front desk. Visits will be held in the shule.
Maximum of two visitors allowed at a single visit – NO EXCEPTIONS
You are NOT required to show proof of a negative COVID test or COVID vaccine
Visitors under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult
You must wear a mask over your nose and mouth at all times during the visit
You must maintain social distance (6″) from all other visitors, residents, and staff.

Virtual Visits
Virtual visits continue to be available from Syracuse Jewish Family Service. Please contact your assigned SJFS staff person; if you do not have an assignment, you may contact Ellen Somers, Asst. Director at somerse@sjfs.org.

NOTE: SJFS will not provide virtual visits in the same week a resident’s family schedules an in-person visit or an outing.

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Visitation Hours

For access to the online visitation link, email: info@menorahparkofcny.com

Jewish Home Visits:
M-F: 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm
Sundays: 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm
Jewish Home Visitation Policy

Inn Visits:
Monday – Saturday
10 am, 11 am, 1:30 pm, 3:30 pm, and 6 pm
Inn_Visitation Policy

Out of State Travel per NYSDOH Guidelines

Irrespective of quarantine, all travelers from out of must:

Monitor symptoms daily from the day of arrival in New York through day 14;
Continue strict adherence to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including hand hygiene and the use of face coverings, through Day 14 (even if fully vaccinated); and
Must immediately self-isolate if any symptoms develop and contact the local public health authority or their healthcare provider to report this change in clinical status and determine if they should seek testing.

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Additional COVID References

Vaccine Information

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine EUA Fact Sheet for Recipients

Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine page

Facts about the COVID Vaccine

Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work

Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination

Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccines Work

HealthDirect Pharmacy

What Seniors Can Expect As the COVID-19 Vaccine Becomes Available (RetireGuide)

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