FOR RELEASE: June 9, 2020
CONTACT: Jayne Sallerson, Chief Operating Officer
321.662.4290 | [email protected]
Acquiring a Senior Living Community in the Midst of a Pandemic: Charter Senior Living Adds a Hazel Crest Memory Care and Assisted Living Community to Its Growing Portfolio
Charter Senior Living of Hazel Crest is safely welcoming new residents with an abundance of caution
HAZEL CREST, Ill. — Shortly after the Chicago-based senior living provider Charter Senior Living acquired Citadel Estates, a small, boutique memory care and assisted living community in the Chicago suburb of Hazel Crest, Illinois, COVID-19 changed the world.
“While introducing a new community in the midst of a pandemic wasn’t our plan,” says Charter Senior Living’s Chief Operating Officer Jayne Sallerson, “we were well prepared. The acquisition was planned before COVID-19 and by the time we were transitioning, most of the country was already locked down. We had plans in place for our other communities, so implementing new procedures at Hazel Crest was seamless. On day one, we swiftly implemented our own rigorous protocols, as well as best-practice guidelines based on direction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from federal, state and local authorities.”
Keven Bennema, Charter Senior Living’s President and CEO, whose own mother resides in a senior living community, said he understands the unease people are experiencing. “We are acutely aware of and completely understand the anxiety and concern COVID-19 is causing in senior living communities. We assure you Charter is maintaining vigilance and is taking all possible precautions and following the strictest possible measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents and employees in response to this pandemic. We review our protocols daily and refine as necessary.”
The community, now called Charter Senior Living of Hazel Crest, has executed extensive risk-mitigation actions including enhanced sanitation using Binary Ionization Technology (BIT), restricting access to all but essential visitors and assessing the health status of every person entering the community, including the employees, all visitors and service providers. Residents’ temperatures and oxygen levels are monitored and checked twice per day. Temperatures of all associates are checked at the beginning and end of shifts. Employees are required to adhere to personal protection protocols, including wearing masks. Social distancing programming such as in-room dining and utilizing the outdoor space as weather permits (if community is not in a quarantine status) are continuing.
There are no reported cases of COVID-19 at Charter Senior Living of Hazel Crest. Thanks to our dedicated staff and stringent protocols, our residents are continuing to thrive. They are finding daily joy in socializing while observing social distancing and one-on-one activities with our life-enrichment team. The community is welcoming new residents with enhanced safety protocols in place.
“The safety and well-being of our residents and employees is and always has been Charter’s highest priority,” says Bennema. “They are – and will continue to be – at the heart of every decision we make. This pandemic has forever changed our industry. Once COVID-19 is behind us, you’ll see changes affecting every area of senior living – from regulations to operations to building design to marketing. We are committed to ensuring the changes we make at Charter will keep our residents safe without affecting the active, connected lifestyle for which we are known.”
Bennema said that due to the vulnerable nature of Charter’s residents, many of the restrictions currently in place due to COVID-19 may continue even when federal, state, and local stay-at-home and social-distancing directives and recommendations are relaxed.
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ABOUT Charter Senior Living: Based in Naperville, Ill., Charter Senior Living is a caring and compassionate leader within the senior living industry. Whether it’s a new development, expansion or repositioning of an existing community, Charter specializes in the growth of senior living communities with the depth and breadth of experience to handle the everyday details and nuances of developing, building and growing occupancy to capacity of a senior living community. Charter manages 18 senior living communities throughout the U.S., offering Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care services. A family-owned business with an executive team with more than 100 combined years in the senior housing industry, Charter Senior Living’s mission is to enhance the human spirit of our residents, families and employees while serving with heart, purpose and courage – and to have fun while serving.
For more information, visit www.charterseniorliving.com.
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