Page 35 - BusinessWest Sept. 29, 2021

in our community safe,” Russell said. “If there are still some people who refuse to get vaccinated, there’s a good chance they will not be able to work here.”
Girding for Battle
Patricia-Lee Baskin-Scholpp isn’t waiting for the state to act. The owner of Caring Solutions,
a home-care company based in West Spring- field, will not hire anyone who is not vaccinated. And, while 98% of her current staff is vaccinated, home care is an industry with lots of turnover.
“We opened at the height of COVID when many of our residents moved in. At that time, they had their masks with them at all times. Now they just need occasional reminders.”
“It’s already hard to find candidates, and by requiring a vaccination, the pool becomes that much smaller,” Baskin-Scholpp said. “Despite that, I won’t put my seniors at risk.”
A nurse by training, she discussed the reason she is passionate about vaccinations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “When you hold someone’s hand who is dying of COVID, it chang- es something in you.”
Baskin-Scholpp also believes we are in a war against COVID, and that one battle strategy worth embracing is wearing a mask. “I have N95 masks in many colors so our staff can make them part of their wardrobe,” she said. “We have to
wear a mask anyway, so let’s own it.”
After several months without them, residents
at Cedarbrook are back to wearing masks when they leave their apartments. For most, Russell said, it’s simply retraining.
“We opened at the height of COVID when many of our residents moved in,” she recalled. “At that time, they had their masks with them at all times. Now they just need occasional reminders.”
Because the virus is prone to change, Iana- cone said he and his peers at other long-term- care facilities have an open communication
stream with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the state office of epidemiol- ogy. “From time to time, they will recommend new protocols for us to implement to keep everybody safe.”
State health officials had raised concerns when several nursing homes discovered cases of the Delta variant. Ianacone pointed out that the protocols to protect against the Delta variant are the same as protecting against the original coronavirus, so staying consistent in COVID-prevention practices works.
“Because our patients are vulnerable, we always go the extra mile in our safety measures,” he added.
Baskin-Scholpp and her staff of 70 caregiv- ers routinely go the extra mile based on a simple principle.
“If you treat people the way they want to be treated, it works,” she said. “We believe people should be able to stay in their own home and shouldn’t have to pay a fortune to do so.”
She named her company Caring Solutions because she believes every challenge has a solu- tion, even COVID.
“This virus isn’t going anywhere right now,
so let’s do everything we can to keep everybody safe,” she told BusinessWest. “It’s really less about individual rights and more about protecting each other.”
As a new facility, Cedarbrook still has apart- ments available for new residents. When the pan- demic first hit, many seniors and their families were fearful of moving into a senior community.
Since that time, as everyone gains more knowledge about the virus, Russell and her staff have continued their diligence with cleaning and safety protocols, which have helped many of those fears to subside.
“People are still able to take tours, and we simply follow a cleaning schedule after the visit,” she said. “As a result, we’re seeing four to six move-ins a month, which is great.”
Life on the Front Line
Reflecting on the past 18 months, Ianacone said he appreciates how grateful the families of his patients have been during a time of constant adjustment.
“Hearing from the families is very warming to us staff members because they feel we are doing a good job taking care of their loved ones and keeping them safe.”
While these senior service professionals wage their fight against a stubborn virus, they continue to succeed in keeping seniors in our community safe. Baskin-Scholpp may have summed up the reason for everyone’s dedication.
Simply put, she said, “I am very passionate about our seniors.” u
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BUSINESS OF AGING
SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 35
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