I love celebrating Independence Day each year. My family often celebrates on vacation in small town America. We start the day with pancakes at the local fire station followed a short time later by a parade full of local celebrities including school programs, marching bands, groups sharing their historical cultures, lots of fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances, and of course the town’s mayor. My young boys love staying up late to experience the fireworks.
This year’s celebration seems especially poignant. Many now walk into stores maskless. It’s more comfortable to join a friend for a restaurant meal. Literally, we have been freed from historically unprecedented restrictions. Even our most vulnerable with the help of vaccines are safe to interact without social distancing and masks.
Veterans Returning
We are excited to announce that our Veterans are returning to our centers. The Atlanta Veteran Administration Medical Center has kept Veterans out of adult day centers throughout the pandemic, but have reauthorized the service. We’ll have some of our Veteran friends returning in time for our Fourth of July Celebrations.
COVID-19 Continuing Protocols
As promised, we want to share our new protocols for COVID-19. We’ll follow continued guidance from the CDC. Skylark will also move more slowly than most business in reopening. Please let us know if you have any questions. We’ll continue to monitor the impact of the new COVID-19 variants and future CDC guidance, but here are our current plans:
- Vaccinations: Currently, all Members and Associates are fully vaccinated. Skylark will continue to require vaccines of new members.
- Masks and Social Distancing: Masks and social distancing are now optional for our fully vaccinated Membership while inside the center. This has allowed us to resume our fun excursions and increased social engagement.
- Tours and Visitors: Skylark is moving slowly in resuming tours and family visitations fully. We’ll continue to conduct most of our tours outside of center operation hours, but will gradually allow family tours from documented vaccinated family members over the coming weeks and months. Please be patient with us as we figure out the right balance of providing timely information and safety.
- Infection Control: We continue to maintain a clean and safe center experience. Our Synexis program continues to be the foundation of our efforts. We’ll continue our newer protocols as consistent with CDC guidance.
Other News
During the Pandemic, we’ve been busy. It’s been fun to welcome our Members back to the center and to meet so many new friends and Members. In the coming weeks, we’ll reveal our new Web site and two new programs: BrainBloom and the All Honor Club for Veterans.
BrainBloom is our program for Alzheimer’s and dementia care. We’ve already incorporated much of the program into the center. Over the coming months we hope to introduce support groups for caregivers and individuals with an early dementia diagnosis; a memory cafe; and a comprehensive program for those with a Mild Cognitive Impairment diagnosis.
The All Honor Club is all about Veterans. It’s about Veterans being with Veterans. It’s about meeting new friends. It’s about serving and being grateful for their valuable service to our country.
