September 6, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Hello September! It’s officially gala month and summer is winding down. We are such a blessed community and have enjoyed our beautiful grounds, life enrichment activities and more.
Covid-19 Updates
This past month we did have three team members test positive for Covid-19 but did not have any resident cases. Considering the uptick in cases right now and as we move into colder months, we may begin mandatory mask wearing again to do the best we can to limit and prevent any spread of illness among our community. We will keep you informed as we continue to discuss and determine when that may take place.
General Facility Updates
Our long awaited IT infrastructure is still in the process of getting updated so that we have better wireless internet services for residents, staff and visitors. While not complete quite yet, we will let you know once that happens and any special instructions that come along with it. It should be a seamless transition!
We have also begun the renovating process of the second floor assisted living hallway. Please pardon our dust while we remove wallpaper, update the flooring and give it some fresh paint over the next few months!
Closing Thoughts | Light the Way Gala + Special Raffles
We are SO excited to see everyone in-person again at our Light the Way Gala and hope all of you can make it. Resident and staff tickets are discounted at $50 each so bring your loved one and enjoy a heartwarming evening celebrating the heart of our mission with us. We are also coordinating a bus for our residents who may not be able to ride with their families, reach out if you have any questions at all! Check out the event site here > And don’t forget the special Tropical Resort Raffle – we aren’t sure we’ll ever get a chance like this again thanks a generous donation from Elite Island Resorts. Grab your $50 raffle ticket for seven chances to win an incredible vacation! Learn more here >
Also back this year is the Rare Bourbon Raffle – this is the perfect thing to share with your families, friends, neighbors who may not be interested in the gala, but still would like to support our mission! Tickets are $50 each and we have incredibly rare bottles of bourbon all at a value of at least $100 up for grabs. Learn more here >
Thank you for allowing us to live out this work – we really couldn’t serve as many people as we do without these kind of fundraising efforts. We are endlessly grateful for how our community always shows up for us. I am so looking forward to celebrating with you at this event!
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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August 8, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy August! Things have generally been status quo here as we continue to enjoy all that summer has to offer. The Phyllis Ann Barone Garden-Terrace (back patio) is being enjoyed every day by residents, our flowers are flourishing and we continue to have new residents move-in and join our family.
Important Reminder! If you are a family member or friend visiting a loved one in our Lumen Lane Memory Care, please make sure that no residents are following you out when you’re leaving the area unless they are with an employee or family member. This is an important aspect of keeping our residents safe.
General Facility Updates
Our Life Enrichment team is hosting the highly requested and much anticipated Amish Country lunch and trip to Smucker’s at the end of this month. We are also planning our annual picnic for August 18 at noon where staff and residents enjoy live music, eat some burgers and enjoy fellowship. The team has also added a monthly baking club to Lumen Lane Memory Care activities and our residents are loving it!
Additionally, our IT infrastructure is still in the process of getting updated so that we have better wireless internet services for residents, staff and visitors. We are hopeful that it will be complete before the end of the month and we will keep you updated on that progress.
Rare Bourbon Raffle is Back!
We’re excited to announce we have 15 rare bottles of bourbon to raffle off this year! We’re only selling 200 tickets total and they are $50 each. Winners will be pulled at the gala but winners do not need to be present to win. Hurry and get your tickets, they’re going to go fast!
Light the Way Gala is Almost Here!
We hope to see as many of our resident family members at this year’s Light the Way Gala on Friday, September 29. The event will take place at the Historic Tanglewood Club in Chagrin Falls and you can now purchase your Tropical Resort Raffle tickets, Rare Bourbon Raffle tickets, event tickets and sponsorships! It’s a fun time with delicious food, open bar, whiskey tasting, raffles and more. This event is an important aspect of our fundraising so we can continue to meet the needs of our community. Thank you for supporting and spreading the word!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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July 11, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy July! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful month of fun and sunshine. Our residents have been enjoying ice cream outings, patio time, live music and more.
Covid-19 + Current Masking Update
Last week, we did have a resident in our Lumen Lane Memory Care Neighborhood test positive for Covid-19 so staff and visitors have returned to wearing masks. Our wellness team are wearing N95 masks and all other staff and visitors are wearing the surgical masks. We did test the rest of the memory care residents and thankfully have not had any further positive cases pop up. Should no further cases arise, we will return to optional masking on Friday, July 14.
Building Updates
After weeks of renovating, the second floor game area is ready for residents and families to use. There is a pool table, puzzle area and a place to play cards or sit and socialize. You do not need to reserve the space, feel free to utilize it at any time! We are still working on adding additional games such as foosball and artwork to the walls. If you’re interested in sponsoring some of these new items, please reach out to Amy Huntley at amy.huntley@lightofheartsvilla.org.
Additionally, our IT infrastructure is in the process of getting updated so that we have better wireless internet services for residents, staff and visitors. We are hopeful that it will be complete before the end of August and we will keep you updated on that progress.
Closing Thoughts
We hope to see you at this year’s Light the Way Gala on Friday, September 29. The event will take place at the Historic Tanglewood Club in Chagrin Falls and you can now purchase your Tropical Resort Raffle tickets, event tickets and sponsorships!
This event is an important aspect of our fundraising so we can continue to meet the needs of our community. Thank you for supporting and spreading the word!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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June 1, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy June! We are loving mask-free life and are thrilled to enter this warm and sunny season. We are still undergoing some construction on our second floor so thank you for your patience as these improvements continue to be made throughout our building. A few housekeeping notes as we head into the summer months:
- Insurance cards – if there is any update or change in your loved one’s insurance, please contact Ann Marie at Annmarie.grossman@lightofheartsvilla.org to update those records.
- If your loved one is someone who enjoys soaking up the sunshine on the patio, please provide them with a bottle of sunscreen so we can make sure they’re protected.
Dining Room
We’d like to reiterate that with the last of our Covid restrictions being lifted, residents are encouraged to participate in all meals in the dining room and to limit any tray service unless they are ill. If a resident is unwell, a sick tray will be provided. Socialization is extremely important for residents and mealtime is an excellent way to begin to promote communication, connection and friendship. Prior to Covid, the expectation was that residents attend meals in the Dining Room and understandably that got shaken up a bit over the last three years. We are trying to return to normal as much as possible so please help encourage your loved one to participate in the dining experience for all three meals.
Closing Thoughts
A reminder to save the date for this year’s Light the Way Gala on Friday, September 29. The event will take place at the Historic Tanglewood Club in Chagrin Falls and you can now purchase your Tropical Resort Raffle tickets! This is a neat chance to only spend $50 and have a chance at winning a premier vacation.
Also don’t forget, our next Caregiver Support Group is on Tuesday, June 6! We invite you and anyone you know to attend this free session. These bi-monthly sessions will be a safe space for community members to come together, enjoy some snacks and learn how to cope as a caregiver.
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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May 1, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
I write to you this month with a long awaited update regarding our Covid-19 safety protocols. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that individuals wear a mask indoors in public areas when community levels are high. That being said, community levels have been low for some time now so beginning this month, in May of 2023, we are no longer requiring employees or visitors to wear masks in the building.
Of course, we will be monitoring community transmission rates closely and if there are any active cases of Covid-19 in the building, masks will then be required during that time for both staff and visitors. Masks are optional, so please be kind to those who do choose to wear a mask. As a reminder, we strongly encourage employees and visitors to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
As state and federal authorities release new health and safety guidance and requirements, Light of Hearts Villa will continue to review and update our communicable disease-related policies and procedures as warranted and inform you of any changes. Additionally, during peak cold and flu season in the months of October through March, we may require masking to prevent and limit any spread of the coronavirus, flu, etc.
Visitation + Dining Room
According to these new guidelines, we have updated our visitation policy. Beginning this month, you can feel free to visit with your loved one outside of their apartments. In regards to the dining room: at this time, due to space and accommodation difficulties, families may still only eat with their loved ones in their apartments.
We do want to make an important note that with the last of our Covid restrictions being lifted, residents are encouraged to participate in all meals in the dining room and to limit any tray service unless they are ill. If a resident is unwell, a sick tray will be provided. Socialization is extremely important for residents and mealtime is an excellent way to begin to promote communication, connection and friendship. Please help encourage your loved one to participate in the dining experience.
Large Gatherings + Mass
You may be wondering about attending Mass services again. Our goal to open the chapel to the public is June 1st so please stay tuned.
Additionally, large group gatherings are limited to 50 people or less and only open to utilize our Multi-Purpose Room near the front desk. As we continue to try to respect our residents’ living areas, the Activity Center is not available for rent or large group gatherings.
Cozy Corner Resale Shop
Visitors may also begin visiting our Cozy Corner shop with limited restrictions. Because the shop is in our Activity Center where we hold resident activities at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM each day, we respectfully ask that you do not visit the shop during those hours. This will limit any disruption to the residents’ activity times.
Closing Thoughts
Thank you all for continuing to respect these safety rules and each other as we continue to move through, and hopefully past, the pandemic. Here’s to an exciting summer season together!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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April 4, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy Easter month! We have so much to be looking forward to right now with the season changing and blooms starting to pop. April is the month of reflection and we’re reflecting on everything we have to be thankful for, everything we’ve learned from and continuously praying for what is to come.
General Updates + Covid-19
In March we did not have any positive Covid-19 cases and are thankfully pretty status quo in that arena. We are still following the same directives regarding mask wearing and visitation policies for the time being. We will keep you updated in the months to come of any changes as we hear about them.
We have completed some facility updates including the addition of new pieces of art to the second floor of Lumen Lane which are all available to sponsor. Certain areas of the second floor are also set for renovations to begin in the next few months. Our technology infrastructure is also expected to be upgraded this year as well and those planning meetings start this month! We’ll keep you updated with more confirmed time frames once we receive them.
Closing Thoughts
A reminder to save the date for this year’s Light the Way Gala on Friday, September 29. The event will take place at the Historic Tanglewood Club in Chagrin Falls and soon we’ll be announcing an exciting raffle thanks to a generous donation from Elite Island Resorts, stay tuned!
Also don’t forget, our next Caregiver Support Group is on Thursday, April 13! We invite you and anyone you know to attend this free session. These bi-monthly sessions will be a safe space for community members to come together, enjoy some snacks and learn how to cope as a caregiver. For more information and to register, visit our website here >
With Easter being celebrated this month we want to remember that Easter is not just one Sunday. Easter is a way of life. It is a life where Christ is always at the center lifting us from the things that keep us in the grave and do not allow us to experience the life that God intends for us. As an “Easter people,” we know what it means to rise from the grave and experience life as God has prepared for us. May we continue to reflect on this beautiful truth year-round.
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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March 2, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
We are so happy to see the month of March! It’s the first sign that spring is coming and there is something refreshing about the Lenten Season. Miguel Chavez, the Sr. Vice President of Mission and Ministry with the Sisters of Charity Health System shared the following words on the first week of Lent that really resonated with me: “Lent is a beautiful time to refocus our hearts on encountering God and catching glimpses of grace that restore and renew our commitment to share love and serve those in need. It is too easy to overlook or miss moments of grace that often surround us each day. A passing smile, the kindness we witness, the simple beauty we experience, the sense of welcome and belonging we feel, these are just a few glimpses of God’s grace we might encounter. These simple and small grace moments fuel the joy that flows from faith when we recognize them.”
General Updates + Covid-19
In February we did not have any positive Covid-19 cases and are thankfully pretty status quo in that arena. We are still following the same directives regarding mask wearing and visitation policies for the time being. We will keep you updated in the months to come of any changes as we hear about them. We do have facility updates that are coming up including the addition of new pieces of art to the second floor of Lumen Lane and some second floor hallway renovations. Our technology infrastructure is also expected to be upgraded this year as well. We’ll keep you updated with more confirmed time frames once we receive them.
Closing Thoughts
Don’t forget, our next Caregiver Support Group is on Thursday, April 13! We invite you and anyone you know to attend this free session. These bi-monthly sessions will be a safe space for community members to come together, enjoy some snacks and learn how to cope as a caregiver. For more information and to register, visit our website here >
Additionally, so many of you consistently send sweet notes of thanks and encouragement and it really does mean a lot. We’d love it if you filled out our Testimonials Form and shared those thoughts here – the kind words you share will help us reach more people and recruit new residents into our family (and also make us smile).
With so much uncertainty happening in the world lately, we are praying and entering this season of Lent with our focus on God and the peace He provides. May healing, peace and safety cover us all. Thank you for continuing to be a supportive community.
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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February 2, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy cold February! These chilly months tend to go by slower but it felt like January just flew on by. We’ve been busy preparing for the year ahead as 2023 will bring more facility updates, many new residents, and more programming for both residents, staff, family members and community members.
General Updates + Covid-19
In the month of January 2023, we had 4 residents test positive and 2 staff members test positive. State rules still require masking in the building and visitation only in the resident’s room. Of course when weather permits, outdoor visitation is allowed as well. Visitors should only go straight to your loved one’s room without visiting any public places such as the dining room, activity center, café or laundry rooms. Additionally, please refrain from visiting if you are feeling even the slightest bit unwell or have known exposure to Covid-19 and exercise good judgment when deciding to take a resident on an outing.
In January we also had our annual Medicaid Waiver Structural Compliance review and we were informed that we are successfully in compliance, passed with flying colors!
Closing Thoughts
Don’t forget, beginning this month on February 7 from 6:00 – 7:00 PM here at Light of Hearts Villa, our caregiver support groups will begin! We invite you and anyone you know to attend this free session. We know how difficult it can be to receive a dementia diagnosis in the family – these bi-monthly sessions will be a safe space for community members to come together, enjoy some snacks and learn how to cope as a caregiver. For more information and to register, visit our website at https://www.lightofheartsvilla.org/news-events/news-releases/. We also have an Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Seminar coming up on March 7. This course typically costs $195, but thanks to funding from State Farm, we are able to offer this session for free. You can learn more on our website as well, under the “Events” section.
In the next month, all 2022 donors will receive a copy of the 2022 Impact Report which shows financial transparency, fundraising success, heartwarming staff and resident stories and more. We can’t wait for you to read all about 2022 and its successes, challenges, highlights and more.
As always, thank you for all the support, prayers and sweet words of encouragement you have been sending. We are a blessed community!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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January 10, 2023
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy new year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season with friends and family. December is always a joyous month here at the Villa with all the Christmas parties, jolly decorations throughout the building – it’s just a different kind of feeling. But we’re entering 2023 feeling incredibly hopeful about this year with moving in many new residents, updating the facility, and fun and enriching plans for both residents and staff.
General Updates + Covid-19
In the month of December 2022, we had 6 residents test positive and three staff members test positive. As of today, on January 10 – we have had four additional positive cases in our Lumen Lane Memory Care. We are continuing to monitor symptoms and test staff and residents. Visitation is still allowed, but please do so at your own risk and continue to be safe when visiting with your loved ones by wearing a mask and frequently washing hands. We know it feels like most of the world has moved on from this virus, but in communities like ours it is still very much a threat.
Closing Thoughts
This year will bring exciting things to our community including an infrastructure upgrade for our technology, continuing to renovate the building with new flooring, paint, lighting and artwork and more. We are also excited to begin using our funds from last year’s State Farm grant for dementia education and caregiver support. Beginning this month and continuing bi-monthly, we have a certified counselor leading conversations with our residents. Next month, on February 7 from 6:00 – 7:00 PM here at Light of Hearts Villa, our caregiver support groups will begin! We invite you and anyone you know to attend this free session. We know how difficult it can be to receive a dementia diagnosis in the family – these bi-monthly sessions will be a safe space for community members to come together, enjoy some snacks and learn how to cope as a caregiver. For more information and to register, visit this page on our website >
Additionally, save the date for this year’s Light the Way Gala which will be on September 29, 2023 at the Historic Tanglewood Club in Chagrin Falls. We are already so excited to celebrate together again at this beautiful new location. More info to come in the coming months!
As always, thank you for all the support, prayers and sweet words of encouragement you have been sending. We are a blessed community!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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December 6, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy month of December! How are we here already? We’ve decked our halls with holiday cheer and are soaking up all the joyful feelings that this season brings. We’ve got some fun celebrations planned this month for both staff and residents and we are in for a month of joy, fellowship and fun!
General Updates + Covid-19
Year-to-date, we have had 15 employees test positive for Covid-19 and 12 total residents. Since the outbreak in October, we have not had any additional resident cases and are praying it stays that way. There have been changes to testing requirements within our staff as we no longer have to test unvaccinated team members twice per week. We are now testing only if there has been exposure or if someone is experiencing signs and symptoms. Masks are still required for all team members and visitors.
Closing Thoughts
I truly can’t believe that soon we will be in the year 2023. It is my prayer and hope that we continue to move in the right direction in putting the pandemic behind us while operating under our “new normal.” I know that 2023 will bring in the completion of some renovation projects, technology upgrades and so much more. We have a lot to be thankful for as this community continues to support us in so many ways.
As we eagerly try to recruit new residents into our community, it would help us significantly if you took the time to fill out this "Testimonial Form" for us and share your connection and your feelings about the Villa. There is no better way to tell people about the Villa than to share a real-life story and word of mouth is our number one way that people here about us. If you could take a moment to share here why YOU think Light of Hearts Villa is a special place, it would help us reach even more people in the coming months and years.
Additionally, we'd like to send a friendly reminder that staff members are unable to accept individual gifts from residents and/or resident family members. If you do wish to bless our staff, you can do so by providing cookies, holiday gifts or food for the entire staff to enjoy (60 staff members on any given day).
Thank you for being a part of the Light of Hearts Villa family. Wishing you a very happy holiday season!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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November 1, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
October was a seemingly long month for our community as you all know, we had our first real “outbreak” of the Covid-19 virus. We are so grateful to be welcoming November with open arms and are hopeful that we got this “out of our system” before the holidays.
General Updates + Covid-19
Prior to October, we had 13 employee cases and 0 resident cases of the Covid-19 virus in 2022. During the month of October alone, we had 14 cases (12 residents, 2 employees). Thankfully, all of these were “mild” cases and everyone is doing much better and feeling healthy.
Again, this is such an important reminder to us that this virus is still a concern. Please keep your loved ones safe when visiting or taking them on outings. Wear masks, wash hands often and be mindful of your health status before visiting.
Mail Update
Our mailperson is once again coming into our building to distribute mail in the residents’ mailboxes. Prior to now, the mailperson was leaving the mail with the front desk to distribute. If you need a mailbox key, please let us know and we can get you one. If you do not wish for your loved one to have access to their mailbox, please take their key or have their mail forwarded to a different address.
Reminder as we are entering a season of celebration with the upcoming holidays… If you’d like to reserve one of the rooms to hold a family gathering in with your loved one, please contact Anne Messer at anne.messer@lightofheartsvilla.org or 440.232.1991 ext. 514.
As always, please reach out with any questions, insights or concerns.
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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October 21, 2022
Dear Residents, Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
It has been exactly two weeks since we began quarantining and I know this has been a
challenge for everyone. I am so thankful for your patience and kindness during this
period. Today, we re-tested all residents that reside in the assisted living side of the building and all tests
came back negative. As a final precaution I am going to ask that you remain quarantined
in your apartments this weekend, October 22nd and 23rd. Activities will continue to be
broadcast on channel 6 daily at 10:30 am and 2:00 pm and Mass Saturday on Channel 4 at 3:45 pm
and Rosary at 4:00 pm on Sunday.
On Monday, October 24th we will return back to normal. Quarantine will be lifted for all
residents without active signs and symptoms of Covid-19. I invite you to return to the
dining room for meals, visit with your friends, attend group activities and religious
services.
Families are still welcome to visit as long as they come directly to your apartment and
wear a mask for the entirety of their visit. Please be aware we are still not allowing family
members or visitors to attend group activities or go in public areas like the dining rooms.
The beauty shop will also re-open on Monday, October 24th. Joanie will be contacting
residents to arrange appointments.
As we enter flu season and continue to deal with Covid-19, I encourage you to be vigilant
in protecting yourself. Please encourage any visitors to keep their masks on when in your
presence. When attending group activities, meals or mass please wash your hands or use
sanitizer before touching your face or eating. If you are going out in the community, I
encourage you to wear a face mask. Face masks are always available in the Wellness
Center or at the front desk. If you are not feeling well please let your nurse know
immediately.
The last 14 days have been a poignant reminder that Covid-19 is still a concern and new
variants are still developing. I am truly grateful that residents who tested positive during
this time have recovered and are doing well. My team and I will continue to do our best
to keep you safe, healthy and living your best lives. Again, thank you for your patience,
support and kindness... This community is a true blessing and I am proud to be part of it. I
look forward to seeing you all in the coming days!
If you have any questions or concerns,
please reach out anytime - my extension is 503.
With gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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October 17, 2022
Dear Residents, Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Dr. Alagarsamy (Dr. Samy) has been serving our residents as our medical director for many years. Recently, due to a change in her employment responsibilities she has informed us that beginning October 31, 2022 she will no longer be able to serve as our medical director.
As saddened as we all are, we are equally grateful that Dr. Samy’s husband, Dr. Somasundaram (Dr. Soma) will begin on November 1, 2022 as our new resident medical director! He will start seeing residents every two weeks beginning November 16, 2022 and will be accompanying Dr. Samy this month at her final visits.
We are blessed to have a quick and easy transition for this important role in our community. We are endlessly grateful for Dr. Samy and her passion, love and care for this community and know that will continue to live out through the work of her husband, Dr. Soma – who will bring the same loving spirit to enhance our mission.
As always, please reach out with any questions, insights or concerns.
With gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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October 14, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Since our update a week ago, we are now up to 11 positive Covid-19 cases in our assisted living resident population, we have not had any cases in the Lumen Lane Memory Care Neighborhood.
All assisted living residents have been quarantined since Friday, October 7 to limit the spread as much as possible. Meals are delivered to their rooms and thanks to our live-streaming capabilities, activities and chapel services are all available for them to view and participate in from their room televisions.
We will be testing all of the assisted living residents today on October 14 and again next Friday, October 21 and monitoring closely for signs and symptoms. It is our goal to open up again by October 24.
We made it quite a long time without an outbreak and feel we are keeping everyone as safe as possible at this point. As we are now in flu/cold season, and with Covid-19 still very much present, please continue to wear masks at all times when visiting with your loved one and be cautious when taking a loved one out into the community. As we’ve learned, it just takes one case to spread like wildfire.
As always, please reach out with any questions, insights or concerns.
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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October 7, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
As of today, October 7, we have two (2) residents that have tested positive for COVID-19 on our assisted living side of the community. These are our first resident cases this year to date. At this time, we are testing any residents and staff that may have had a possible exposure to these two residents. Our community has been proactive to keep our residents as safe as possible, and with that being said, we are going to put a few things in place to protect everyone from a potential spread.
At this time, we will be serving all meals in the residents' rooms that reside on the assisted living side, and refrain from congregate meals. We are also going to refrain from having group activities on the assisted living side for the next 10 days. We will continue to inform you if there are any changes and we are monitoring all residents closely for signs and symptoms, testing strategically throughout the next 10 days.
Our commitment to keeping the residents healthy and safe remains our top priority, I know this isn't fun - but it is indeed necessary to contain this before it can spread.
Families can still choose to visit their loved one, but please be sure to keep your mask on while visiting your loved one in their apartment.
If you have immediate concerns, please feel free to contact us.
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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October 4, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
It’s officially fall and we have decorated the building and are awaiting the beautiful colors to turn. As we head into this final quarter of the year, we have a few updates to share regarding upcoming projects in the facility.
Facility Updates
Thanks to the generosity of our donors at the fund-a-need portion at our Light the Way Gala, we are able to update the second floor of Lumen Lane before the end of this year! The new flooring will be installed, walls painted and some brand new artwork. Please “pardon our dust” as these changes will be made in the coming months. Additionally, our team members will be painting the Multi-Purpose Room (near the front desk) from October 1 through October 15 so room reservations for that room will not be able to be made during that time.
General Updates + Covid-19
In 2022 so far, we have had 13 total positive cases of Covid-19 within our staff population. We have not had any positive cases within our resident population this year. We are continuing to hold vaccine clinics for staff and residents to receive boosters and are testing twice per week. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has put out an update regarding the latest Bivalent Booster vaccine. This can be given as a single booster dose administered at least 2 months after either:
- The completion of primary vaccination with any authorized or approved monovalent covid-19 vaccine
- Receipt of the most recent booster with any authorized or approved monovalent covid-19 vaccine
We will be administering these booster vaccines in October as well as the flu vaccine. Please fill out the consent form for your loved one if needed. Also just a reminder that if you’d like to reserve one of the rooms in the facility to hold a family gathering with your loved one, please contact Anne Messer at anne.messer@lightofheartsvilla.org or 440.232.1991 ext. 514.
On Tuesday, October 6 starting at 8:00 AM, our phone system will be down for about an hour as we are getting our software upgraded. If you need to reach us during that time, please call this number: 216-299-6033.
As always, please reach out with any questions, insights or concerns.
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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September 8, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.’ – Psalm 9:1
Summer is winding down and we are entering a new season and it’s reminding me to practice gratitude. In the midst of dealing with historic staffing shortages in this industry, low resident census, retention issues, Medicaid reimbursement complexities and more… It is so difficult sometimes to remember the blessings. We do have an incredible team in place and are coming off our Light the Way Gala celebration reminded of how amazing our community of supporters is. Together, you helped us raise over $117,000 for the Sister Helen T. Scasny, SC Benevolent Fund and over $11,000 to help us complete renovations and upgrades within our facility. More importantly, we were able to come together to be reminded of the impact this ministry has on the lives of so many. We cannot say thank you enough.
General Updates + Covid-19
In 2022 so far, we have had 12 total positive cases of Covid-19 within our staff population. We have not had any positive cases within our resident population this year. We are continuing to hold vaccine clinics for staff and residents to receive boosters and are testing twice per week.
Additionally, as you may be aware we have been experiencing more issues than usual with our WiFi and phone system. We are actively working on this solution and have a plan in place to complete the upgrades of our IT infrastructure within the next year. Due to supply chain issues, it is not as soon as we would hope but should be complete by the second quarter of 2023. Thank you for your patience!
We are also entering a season of celebration with upcoming holidays! If you’d like to reserve one of the rooms to hold a family gathering in with your loved one, please contact Anne Messer at anne.messer@lightofheartsvilla.org or 440.232.1991 ext. 514.
This fall, we are actively recruiting new residents to join our Light of Hearts Villa community. If you know someone who may be looking, please send them our way!
As always, please reach out with any questions, insights or concerns.
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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August 2, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy August! Things have generally been status quo here at Light of Hearts Villa over the past month. We did have 1 more positive staff case since our last update, bringing that total to 9 positive staff cases this year to date. We still have not had any positive cases within our resident population.
General Facility Updates
A few weeks ago, our parking lot had a nice little upgrade to it with a fresh asphalt coat and new paint. Additionally, our phones did go down for a few days. There was a piece that broke completely from years of wear and tear, we overnighted the piece for delivery and the system was able to be fixed. During this time, we were able to place outgoing calls but not receive any incoming calls. Any voicemails that were left on any of our machines prior to the phones going down are not retrievable at this point either. We do apologize for that inconvenience and are grateful for our IT team at the Sisters of Charity Health System who helped get it fixed as quickly as possible.
Closing Thoughts | Light the Way Gala + Rare Bourbon Raffle
It’s officially gala month! August 26 we will celebrate together on the grounds of Saint Monica Church. If you’re able to attend, please do so! We’d love as many of our resident family members to be there as possible –the work we do and the fundraising we do is truly all for our residents. It’s going to be a beautiful and special night! Also, we have under 200 tickets left for the Rare Bourbon Raffle so get your tickets before they run out and spread the word with your friends. Check out the event site here >
As always, please reach out with any questions at all. Hope to see you there!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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July 8, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
I cannot believe we are in the month of July and this year is more than half way over! Time has been flying by. I am grateful to announce we have still not had any positive Covid-19 cases within our resident population and have only had 8 positive staff cases this year to date. We are continuing to be diligent with our mask-wearing, cleaning and hygiene in this community and still following the protocols of the Ohio Department of Health and Center for Disease Control. Although there haven’t been any changes to the visitation and mask wearing rules as of yet, there have been new updates in the testing protocols.
COVID-19 Testing Requirement Updates
Residential Care Facilities (RCF) will be expected to routinely test staff that are not “up-to-date” with Covid vaccinations. This is a big change as the previous RCF order stated “fully vaccinated” staff did not have to be routinely tested. You are “up-to-date” on your vaccines when you have received all doses in the primary series and all boosters recommended for you, when eligible. This means our testing numbers will increase within our staff as the majority have received their primary series, but not the boosters as of yet.
Closing Thoughts | Light the Way Gala + Rare Bourbon Raffle
You should now have received your mailed invitations to this very special event this summer! We are SO excited to see everyone in-person again at our Light the Way Gala and hope all of you can make it. Resident and staff tickets are discounted at $50 each so bring your loved one and enjoy a heartwarming evening celebrating the heart of our mission with us. We are also coordinating a bus for our residents who may not be able to ride with their families, reach out if you have any questions at all! Check out the event site here >
Also new this year is the Rare Bourbon Raffle – this is the perfect thing to share with your families, friends, neighbors who may not be interested in the gala, but still would like to support our mission! Tickets are $50 each and we have incredibly rare bottles of bourbon from around the world up for grabs. Learn more here >
Thank you for allowing us to live out this work – we really couldn’t serve as many people as we do without these kind of fundraising efforts. We are endlessly grateful for how our community always shows up for us. I am so looking forward to celebrating with you at this event!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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June 7, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy June! Thank you for the kind words and support regarding the latest facility upgrades in the first floor hallway – we appreciate your patience as those improvements were made and we are so happy our residents and staff are loving the new look. A few housekeeping notes as we head into the summer months:
- Insurance cards – if there is any update or change in your loved one’s insurance, please contact Ann Marie at Annmarie.grossman@lightofheartsvilla.org to update those records.
- If your loved one is someone who enjoys soaking up the sunshine on the patio, please provide them with a bottle of sunscreen so we can make sure they’re protected.
- We did have three positive Covid-19 cases in the month of May within our staff. We still do not have any positive cases within our resident population.
State Farm Neighborhood Assist Grant Opportunity
We are thrilled to announce that we were selected as a State Farm Neighborhood Assist Top 100 grant winner! We couldn’t have done it without our community voting each and every day and we are SO grateful for the support. We will be implementing more a robust series around dementia education and support in the coming months so stay tuned for more information.
Closing Thoughts | Save the Date of Friday, August 26th for our Light the Way Gala
You will be receiving your invitations to our Light the Way Gala soon and we hope to see as many of you there as possible! We are so looking forward to a night of fellowship, good food and drinks and a lot of fun. Did we mention the Rare Bourbon Raffle? You won’t want to miss it! Check out the event site here >
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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May 3, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
I am so excited to see the month of May! A true sign of sunshine, warmth and growth. We feel so fortunate to have been status quo this year in terms of coronavirus updates. We have been Covid-free for twelve weeks now and are still under the same guidelines concerning visitation and mask wearing per the Ohio Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control.
Facility Updates
If you have visited a loved one recently, you may have noticed our “pardon our dust” signs! We have begun updating certain areas of the facility so we appreciate your patience as these projects take place. Painting, flooring and lighting updates specifically are taking place over these next few months. We are grateful for the support and kind words of the completed areas!
State Farm Neighborhood Assist Grant Opportunity
You may have heard through our social media and email communications that our grant proposal for dementia education and support has been selected in the top 200 in the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program! The top 100 organizations will receive $25K in funding and this would be so incredible for us. These funds would really jumpstart this program and benefit so many people in the memory care community. We need YOUR votes to make this happen. Voting is open through Friday, May 6 at 11:59 PM so please help us cross this finish line!
Visit our website for more information or vote here: https://www.neighborhoodassist.com/entry/2044018
Closing Thoughts | Save the Date of Friday, August 26th for our Light the Way Gala
Another reminder that we will be gathering in-person for the first time since 2019 for our Light the Way Gala event! We will be gathering at a beautiful outdoor location only 10 minutes away from our campus at St. Monica’s Parish on Friday, August 26 from 6 – 9:30 PM.
We’ll have a beautiful dinner, drinks, auctions, raffles and more… The event will even feature a rare bourbon raffle. But most importantly, we will be able to gather together for an important cause. Please stay tuned, we hope to see as many of you there as possible!
Additionally, the lights from our Night of Hearts fundraising campaign will be getting installed June 6 and 7 – we can’t wait for you to see them!
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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April 6, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy Easter month! We have so much to be looking forward to right now with the season changing and blooms starting to pop. We have been Covid-free for eight weeks and it is our prayer that this trend continues and the virus continues to taper off. As of right now, we are operating under the same rules as we have been concerning visitation, sanitation protocol and mask wearing. We will keep our community updated as healthcare settings change per the Ohio Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control.
Facility Updates
If you have visited a loved one recently, you may have noticed our “pardon our dust” signs! We have begun updating certain areas of the facility so we appreciate your patience as these projects take place. Painting, flooring and lighting updates specifically are taking place over these next few months. We are grateful for the support and kind words of the completed areas!
Activities
We did start adding grocery store trips to our monthly activities calendars again and as the weather warms up, we will do more and more outdoor activities. Additionally, this month we have a large range of Easter spiritual programming for our residents to participate in.
Closing Thoughts | Save the Date of Friday, August 26th for our Light the Way Gala
Exciting news! More information still to come, but please save the date for our annual fundraiser, Light the Way Gala which will be in-person for the first time in two years!
We will be gathering at a beautiful outdoor location only 10 minutes away from our campus at St. Monica’s Parish on Friday, August 26 from 6 – 9:30 PM. We’ll have dinner, drinks, auctions, raffles and more… But most importantly, we will be able to gather together for an important cause. Please stay tuned, we hope to see as many of you there as possible!
We hope you have wonderful Easter celebrations with your family! Thank you for all you do for us and the support and prayer you give. It means more than you know.
With so much gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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March 3, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy March! Spring is on the horizon and we are officially three weeks Covid-free. In 2022 so far, we have had 5 positive staff cases. We know things have been getting much better in terms of number of cases so some mask mandates are getting lifted. Although the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has revised its public indoor mask guidance, the CDC has not made any changes to these rules in healthcare settings. Therefore, our rules remain the same across the board in visitation and mask wearing. Please continue to visit only in your loved one’s room, wearing a mask to ensure we continue to ride out this wave as safely as possible.
We do still offer vaccine clinics on the third Monday of every month. If your loved one is a newer resident and needs their second dose or is still need of a booster, please make sure they are getting signed up for the appropriate clinics. Contact Donna Allen with questions at donna.allen@lightofheartsvilla.org or 440-232-1991 ext. 517.
Closing Thoughts
Last month, we officially launched our Night of Hearts fundraising campaign to raise funds to illuminate our building at night with the installation of high-end LED color changing lights around the entire exterior. With these lights, our building’s unique features will be noticed even in the dark. You can read more and donate to the cause on our website at lightofheartsvilla.org/nightofhearts.
Additionally, so many of you consistently send sweet notes of thanks and encouragement and it really does mean a lot. We’d love it if you filled out our Testimonials Form and shared those thoughts here – the kind words you share will help us reach more people and recruit new residents into our family (and also make us smile).
With so much uncertainty happening in the world lately, we are praying and entering this season of Lent with our focus on God and the peace He provides. May healing, peace and safety cover us all. Thank you for continuing to be a supportive community.
With gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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February 3, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy February! We’re starting off the year with some fun projects and this month our Life Enrichment team has some incredible Olympic-themed activities lined up for our residents that we can’t wait to show you! Also, in the next few weeks, the first floor of Lumen Lane will be getting upgraded flooring! It will match the flooring in the current dining and activities rooms and really start bringing the whole area together. We ask if you are visiting your loved one in Lumen Lane, to please pardon our dust during that time. It should be a quick and efficient project that will not affect our residents’ day-to-day lives.
Covid-19 Cases
The Omicron variant gave us a bit of a rough run in the months of December and January. In total for those two months, we had 17 positive cases of Covid-19; 2 residents and 15 staff members. Thankfully, we have now been Covid-free for three full weeks.
Winter Weather
As this week is bringing some intense weather, we wanted to update you all that the preparation on our side has been all hands on deck. We’ve been prepping for ample amount of staff, making accommodations for pickups, plowing and even allowing staff to stay here on-site! We are fully prepared with our generator and ample amounts of food and water should an emergency situation arise. Our residents are always first priority.
Closing Thoughts
In the next month or so, you will also be receiving a copy of our 2021 Impact Report. We wanted to add this publication to the mix to show transparency across the board, share more heartwarming stories and further remind our community of supporters WHY we do what we do, and WHY their support is so important. We can’t wait for you to read all about 2021 and its successes, challenges, highlights and more.
In the meantime, we are still actively accepting new residents into our family, both in memory care and assisted living. If you refer someone who successfully moves in, you could be entered into a raffle to win $500.00! Please reach out if you have any questions at all.
With so much love and gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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January 4, 2022
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Here we are, officially in the new year of 2022. I am hopeful about this year, but to continue our trend of transparency, I am incredibly nervous about the Covid-19 variants and what’s to come. With the continuous rise in cases and more and more research coming out about how easily the Omicron variant spreads, we need to be more vigilant than ever to keep our community safe. We are doing everything we can on our end to keep visitation open and do not want to shut the facility down again. That being said, we need your help to ensure basic safety and infection control which includes hand hygiene, social distancing and especially mask wearing when you are visiting your loved one… This means also keeping your mask on when in your loved one’s room.
Visitors should ONLY go straight to your loved one’s room without visiting any public places such as the dining room, activity center, café or laundry rooms. Additionally, please refrain from visiting if you are feeling even the slightest bit unwell or have known exposure to Covid-19 and exercise good judgment when deciding to take a resident on an outing.
Covid-19 Cases
In the month of December 2021, we had 15 total staff members test positive and two residents test positive. The majority of our residents and staff members have received their Pfizer booster vaccines and we continue to test unvaccinated staff members twice a week and conduct strategic testing around the Villa at random times.
Closing Thoughts
We are blessed here with a team of caregivers who love your family members as their own. We are taking precautions in our own lives to limit any potential exposures and testing often. Continue to pray over our staff and express your appreciation as the effort they put in is truly unmatched. Thank you for being a part of the Light of Hearts Villa family. Wishing you a very joyous and wonderful 2022!
With so much love and gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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December 7, 2021
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy month of December! I cannot believe 2021 is coming to a close. It truly feels like 2020 JUST ended… I hope you all are feeling the joy and the warmth the holiday season brings. We certainly are here at the Villa! The halls have been decked with decorations galore, Christmas music playing, parties planned and more… We are in for a month of joy, fellowship and fun!
COVID-19 Cases
Prior to this weekend, we were about six weeks COVID free but unfortunately over the course of the last week, we have had five staff members test positive. It seems that each case is unrelated and we pray this stays contained, has not spread and that each of these staff members recover quickly. All staff members wear masks at all times in the facility and we have begun strategically testing residents and do not have any positive cases among residents so far.
Our residents and staff members have received their Pfizer booster vaccines and we continue to test unvaccinated staff members twice a week and conduct strategic testing around the Villa at random times.
With the new omicron variant, we are staying up-to-date with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) on necessary restrictions and policies. As of right now, we do not need to implement any new protocols that we have not already had in place during the entire pandemic.
Closing Thoughts
We desperately long for the day where things feel truly "normal" here. With that being said, we are so grateful for the outpouring of support we continue to receive from this community. It hasn't been an easy road and we know there are still hard times to come, but it sure does make it better knowing we have you all in our corner.
As we eagerly try to recruit new residents into our community, it would help us significantly if you took the time to fill out this "Testimonial Form" for us and share your connection and your feelings about the Villa. There is no better way to tell people about the Villa than to share a real-life story and word of mouth is our number one way that people here about us. If you could take a moment to share here why YOU think Light of Hearts Villa is a special place, it would help us reach even more people in the coming months and years.
Additionally, we'd like to send a friendly reminder that staff members are unable to accept individual gifts from residents and/or resident family members. If you do wish to bless our staff, you can do so by providing cookies, holiday gifts or food for the entire staff to enjoy (60 staff members on any given day).
Thank you for being a part of the Light of Hearts Villa family. Wishing you a very happy holiday season!
With so much love and gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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November 2, 2021
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
I cannot believe we are in the month of November! We are so excited to enter into this holiday season with you all and we are continuing to do our very best to keep residents safe, happy and healthy. In the month of October, we did have 4 positive COVID cases among staff and 1 positive resident case. All cases were unrelated and thankfully did not spread. Three of the cases were asymptomatic as well. We continue to test unvaccinated staff members twice per week and conduct strategic testing of residents.
As the delta variant continues to surge and as we are in the peak of flu season, we do ask that as loved ones visit one of our residents, please continue to wear a mask at all times in the facility and please do not visit if you are feeling even the slightest under the weather. When you take a loved one in public, please be smart about the location, socially distance from others and wear a mask.
Vaccine Boosters
Around 53 staff and residents received their Pfizer vaccine booster on October 25 and the remaining will receive it on November 22. Please help your loved one with their consent form if they were not at the first clinic and return it to Donna Allen, Director of Wellness a week prior to the next booster clinic.
Closing Thoughts
In October, we welcomed four new residents to our family and had a really wonderful Halloween party celebration where residents ate yummy treats, dressed up in hilarious costumes and enjoyed live entertainment. We are now looking forward to decorating the Villa with our Christmas decorations and taking in the joy that brings with it, and hopefully welcoming more residents before the year ends.
This month also closes with a special giving day, We Give Catholic on Tuesday, November 30 and we invite you to save the date to participate and spread the word to others. We have an ambitious goal of raising $10,000 to support our residents and every little bit will help. More information to come!
With so much love and gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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October 5, 2021
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
It’s officially fall and we have decorated the building and are awaiting the beautiful colors to turn. As we head into these cooler months, we continue to test unvaccinated staff members twice a week and are currently 8 weeks free of COVID-19. As the delta variant continues to surge, we do ask that as loved ones visit one of our residents, please continue to wear a mask at all times in the facility and please do not visit if you are feeling even the slightest under the weather.
Vaccine Boosters
We still do not have any further updates since our last communication in September regarding the vaccine booster. We will work with our pharmacy as a part of our maintenance program to schedule boosters when available and we will keep you updated as we learn more.
Closing Thoughts
Things here are business as usual so this month I do not bring to you many new updates. We have welcomed a few new residents and our resident population is 100% vaccinated. They have been continuing to enjoy social activities, dining together, scenic bus drives, etc. In September, we wrapped up an incredible week of activities for National Assisted Living Week and held our Luminary Illuminations virtual event which raised over $65,000 to support our residents! We are continuously grateful for the lengths our community goes to support what we do here at Light of Hearts Villa. It truly is a special place and that community bond and your prayers are unfathomable to me some days.
Thank you for your continued patience, prayers and support. As always, please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions.
Gratefully,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
Breanne.cavileer@lightofheartsvilla.org
440-232-1991 ext. 503
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September 8, 2021
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
We hope you all were able to enjoy a long weekend celebrating the Labor Day holiday.
Here at the Villa, we continue to test unvaccinated staff members twice a week. We did have our first vaccinated employee test positive for COVID-19. A family member that she lives with tested positive and our employee had cold-like symptoms so she stayed home for a few days, then we tested her and the result was positive but it thankfully did not spread to anyone else. The employee served the appropriate quarantine time away from the Villa and is all healthy and back to work! We are currently 4 weeks free of COVID-19.
We do ask that as loved ones visit one of our residents, please continue to wear a mask at all times in the facility. We know it may seem inconvenient, but it is an important part of limiting any exposure or spread to the virus especially as we head into cooler weather.
Vaccine Mandates – Update from the Ohio Assisted Living Association
It is our understanding at this point in time that the mandate would not apply to assisted living facilities. Although, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has not put out official language yet so we cannot be sure. If this is the case, it would also not apply to assisted living communities providing the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW). The ALW is a federal “waiver” and just as previous CMS directives during the pandemic did not apply to ALW providers, it would also be true in this case. We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more.
Our resident population is 100% vaccinated and they have been continuing to enjoy social activities, being able to come and go as they please and much more. Our vaccination rate among our staff is still around 80%.
Vaccine Boosters – Update from the Ohio Assisted Living Association
The goal is for individuals to begin receiving a COVID-19 booster shot beginning in the fall, with individuals being eligible starting 8 months after they received their second dose of an mRNA vaccine (either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). The goal is for the first people eligible for a booster dose to be those who were the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccination (those who are most at risk). This includes healthcare providers, residents of long-term care facilities, and other older adults.
We will work with our pharmacy as a part of our maintenance program to schedule boosters when available. I am attending a webinar with more information to come.
Luminary Illuminations: Honoring our Heroes and Loved Ones
If you haven’t taken a look at our virtual auction/raffle, don’t forget to do so before September 15 at 3 PM! Everything from raffle tickets to items to bid on, there truly is something for everyone.
- Luminary Illuminations Special Broadcast Event: Thursday, September 16 at Noon (on our Facebook page)
Closing Thought
We are so grateful for this community and we hope we are making you proud. Our staff continues to work diligently to safeguard your loved ones in the most caring way. We urge all to please get vaccinated if you haven’t yet to lessen the timeline of this pandemic. In an address to the American people recently, Pope Francis said, "Being vaccinated with vaccines authorized by the competent authorities is an act of love. And contributing to ensure the majority of people are vaccinated is an act of love." He added: "Vaccination is a simple but profound way of promoting the common good and caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable."
Gratefully,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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August 3, 2021
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy August! Summer has been flying by but we are soaking up every minute. We currently do not have many new updates regarding visitation or other restrictions due to the COVID-19 virus. We have been enjoying seeing so many of you come to safely visit your loved ones either in their rooms or in the outdoor garden areas. One exciting update regarding our Dining Room below!
Dining Room Update
After a few long weeks of the kitchen being out of commission for important plumbing repairs, we are thrilled to announce our Dining Room officially opened this week! Residents are now able to enjoy meal times together again and our Dietary Team is ecstatic to serve them in the normal way and enjoy that fellowship. It’s been a long year and a half, but we finally got here! In order to STAY safe and keep things functioning like this, we are asking everyone to continue to follow safety protocols as directed by the CDC and ODH – please wear your mask when visiting with your loved ones in their rooms, practice good hand hygiene and please do not visit if you are feeling even the slightest bit ill.
Here at the Villa, we continue to test unvaccinated staff members twice a week and are at 25 weeks of being COVID-free. Our resident population is 100% vaccinated and they have been continuing to enjoy social activities, being able to come and go as they please and much more.
Luminary Illuminations: Honoring our Heroes and Loved Ones
Don’t forget, our virtual event Luminary Illuminations will be a special event to raise funds for the Sister Helen T. Scasny, SC Benevolent Fund. Snapshot of important event information:
- Luminary Illuminations Special Broadcast Event: Thursday, September 16 at Noon (on our Facebook page)
We deeply appreciate your generosity, patience and support through this! Let’s keep it going in the right direction and come together to support our incredible community of residents.
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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June 23, 2021
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
We recently received new updates from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Governor’s office regarding restrictions for long-term care facilities! As of right now, the following visitation rules have been adjusted and we will keep you updated as we learn more.
Visitation Restrictions Update
Beginning Wednesday, June 23 we will no longer have to schedule visitation in advance with you and your loved one. You will be able to freely visit anytime from 8 AM – 8 PM and visit with your loved one in their room or out on our patio. There is no longer a limit on the amount of visitors or on the age of visitors as long as they can appropriately wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. It is still required that upon your entry into the Villa you must check-in the same way and get your temperature checked in case we need to do contact tracing in the future. It is also still required that all visitors wear masks inside of the facility. The ODH also suggests that visitors wandering around the facility should be at a minimum, if at all, to lessen the amount of contact with others.
Dining Room Update
We are eager to open our Dining Room again to our residents to enjoy food and fellowship again. Unfortunately, we recently discovered a problem with the piping under our kitchen area, forcing us to shut the kitchen down temporarily while a construction team fixes the piping. This should take around 2-3 weeks and we were not anticipating this kind of setback. As always, we are rolling with the punches and praying through it – we will get through this just like we get through any hurdle. We have a catering company providing the meals beginning Wednesday, June 23 for our residents in the meantime and our new goal to open the Dining Room is August 2nd. We appreciate your prayers as we maneuver this one – our kitchen is an essential part of our community and we are hopeful that the problem is fixed in a timely manner without a large financial burden.
Finally, we are still testing unvaccinated staff members twice a week and are at 20 weeks of being COVID-free. Our resident population is 100% vaccinated and they have been enjoying social activities without masks and much more. We deeply appreciate your patience and support through this! Let’s keep it going in the right direction. –
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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June 7, 2021
Dear Family and Friends of Light of Hearts Villa,
We are heading into summer with eagerness and anticipation. Warm air, patio evenings, outings and more are bringing more and more life into the Villa. Our residents have been enjoying going out with family and not quarantining upon return, and we are excited for things to continue moving in the right direction.
It is with grateful hearts that we report we have been COVID-free for the last 17 weeks. Additionally, we are up to 80% of our staff being fully vaccinated and still have 100% vaccination among our residents. This means great things for our residents’ lives as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) have said that residents no longer need to socially distance or wear a mask during group activities if all residents are vaccinated.
The CDC and ODH have also announced that fully vaccinated residents can now participate in communal dining without masks or social distancing. Our goal is to have the Dining Room open and ready by the end of June pending some unforeseen construction updates in the kitchen. Our residents are eager to sit with each other again and enjoy good food and fellowship, and our Dietary Team is thrilled to return to normal again.
Accepting New Admissions
We would also like to encourage our biggest supporters (YOU) to spread the word about Light of Hearts Villa. We are accepting new admissions for both assisted living and memory care services and are eager to welcome new folks to the family.
Luminary Illuminations Virtual Event
Another reminder to save the date during National Assisted Living Week this year! Despite these exciting advances towards normalcy, we are operating with an abundance of caution and choosing to do this year’s fall fundraiser virtually again. Save the date for a special event to honor our heroes and loved ones with Luminary Illuminations on Thursday, September 16 at 12 PM where all proceeds support our Sister Helen T. Scasny, SC Benevolent Fund. We will have an online raffle and auction just like last year and a beautiful broadcast featuring some exciting surprises! Learn more on our website at lightofheartsvilla.org/luminary – invitations and more information will be mailed shortly.
With all my gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
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May 5, 2021
Great news! We are excited to share some lessened restrictions from the Ohio Department of Health regarding quarantining rules below.
• Current residents who are fully vaccinated will not be required to quarantine after leaving the facility for medical visits, community outings with friends and family, and hospital visits as long as there was not close contact with a positive coronavirus case.
--- If a resident leaves with family or friends, please let us know as soon as possible if anyone in their party contracts COVID-19 within 14 days of their interaction.
• New resident admissions who are fully vaccinated will not be required to quarantine, unless they have been in prolonged contact (15 minutes or more) with an individual with a positive case of COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
--- New resident admissions who are not fully vaccinated will have to adhere to all previous quarantine policies.
• Residents who leave the facility, as well as those taking them outside the facility, need to continue to understand the importance of implementing mask wearing, social distancing and regular hand hygiene.
• Currently, there have been no changes regarding how indoor visitation at Light of Hearts Villa are being conducted.
Thank you!
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May 3, 2021
Dear Family and Friends of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy May! This month is an exciting one for us as we are finally able to open our new Memory Care Center! After a few delays in the project, we were able to unveil the space to our staff and residents and we couldn’t be more excited to start utilizing the space. We will be sharing photos and videos shortly so stay tuned!
We are also grateful to share that we continue to be COVID-free for the last thirteen weeks. Beginning the week of May 10th, we no longer have to test fully vaccinated staff members. We will continue to test unvaccinated staff member twice a week until directed otherwise. Because of this continued health among our community and the latest restriction updates from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Ohio Department of Health (ODH), we have a few exciting updates to share with you below!
Life Enrichment Activities Update
Moving forward, residents who are fully vaccinated may attend group activities without wearing a mask or social distancing. Currently, 100% of our residents are fully vaccinated so this is wonderful news!
Based on guidelines from the ODH and CDC, if an unvaccinated resident attends group activities, then all residents in attendance must wear their mask but only unvaccinated resident would need to social distance. If residents prefer to wear a mask at group activities, they may absolutely do so and masks will continue to be available at all activities and in the Wellness Center.
Please note, these guidelines still say residents and visitors must wear masks at all times while in the visitation room or visiting with a loved one outside.
Dining Hall Update
The ODH and CDC have recently updated guidelines around communal dining in long-term care facilities. Fully vaccinated residents are now able to participate in communal dining without social distancing – this will make it much easier for us to open our dining hall safely to residents without having to enforce social distancing!
We are working on ensuring adequate staffing and procedures in place to open our dining hall soon. We will soon provide an opening date but know that our dietary team is eager to get back to normal and serve and socialize with our residents.
Save the Date: Luminary Illuminations Virtual Event
Despite these exciting advances towards normalcy, we are operating with an abundance of caution and choosing to do this year’s fall fundraiser virtually again. Save the date for a special event to honor our heroes and loved ones with Luminary Illuminations on Thursday, September 16 at 12 PM where all proceeds support our Sister Helen T. Scasny, SC Benevolent Fund.
We will have an online raffle and auction just like last year and a beautiful broadcast featuring some exciting surprises! Learn more on our website at lightofheartsvilla.org/luminary – invitations and more information will be mailed in the summer of 2021.
Again, thank you for your patience, prayers and support. It truly means more than you know!
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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March 26, 2021
Dear Friends, Family and Residents of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy spring season! We are thrilled to be entering into this season of growth and warmer weather and are longing for relaxing evenings on our beautiful patio, which residents can now enjoy during weather-permitting times. We are also hopeful and excited as we have officially been COVID-free for the last eight weeks, thanks be to God for this blessing of continued health. We have a few additional updates to share with you below!
Visitation Update
On March 23, 2021 we received news that Governor DeWine announced a new visitation order for assisted living facilities. It is now required for long-term care facilities to allow visitation to residents, and since we have permitted visitation since last June this is nothing new for us.
However, the new update also allows contact with your loved one! We are so excited that you may now embrace your loved ones and enjoy a more comfortable visit beginning on Monday, March 29. We have made changes to our visitation room so that you may now hug your loved one, sit more comfortably together and enjoy a more “normal” visit where you are not separated by a table and plastic shield.
All other general rules will still exist such as:
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All visits must be scheduled through our sign-up link
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Visitors and residents must wear masks at all times
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Visits will be in designated visitation room and it will be thoroughly sanitized between visits
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30-minute visitation blocks
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Visitors will be screened upon entry
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No more than two visitors at a time – but visitors no longer have to be from the same household
We do encourage you to visit with caution if you are not vaccinated yourself. While all of our residents are fully vaccinated at this point, it is still important to utilize caution to keep them safe wherever possible and we appreciate your continued support with this.
Resident Mail Processing
This is a suggestion that families either arrange to pick up your loved one’s mail or change the address. There have been large amounts of mail that should be opened by the resident’s main contact. For questions and concerns, please contact Tanya Keaton at 440-232-1991 ext. 505.
Easter Celebrations
Although our dining hall area is not quite opened yet because of current restrictions, we do plan to celebrate Easter with our residents by having them dine together in the Activity Center. Similar to how it was set up for Thanksgiving and Christmas, our residents will be socially distanced, served a delicious Easter meal together and enjoy an Easter reflection. Of course, we will share photos via our monthly e-blasts and through our social media channels.
As always, thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement – we are so grateful for this community!
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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February 26, 2021
Dear Friends, Family and Residents of Light of Hearts Villa,
I write to you with some wonderful news! Today on February 26th we received our second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Light of Hearts Villa. We also want to share that for 4 weeks in a row, all employees have tested negative for the virus. This is incredible news and we are so grateful for this blessing of health and safety. The selfless work that our staff does to remain safe from the virus outside of our building does not go unnoticed, we are so grateful for their continued commitment to this fight.
Additionally, we are implementing one change to our current resident quarantine policy. Beginning on March 1st, residents will NOT have to quarantine upon returning from a doctor’s appointment. These appointments are considered to be a safe setting and now with both vaccines administered, we are confident we can safely end this specific policy. For family members and staff that are taking a resident to an appointment, please remember that all parties need to wear a mask in the car and maintain as much social distancing as possible.
Until instructed otherwise, we must continue to follow the directives of the Ohio Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control regarding precautions and restrictions for senior care facilities. Unfortunately, this means our current policies regarding visitation and mask wearing will not change for the time being.
As always, thank you for the continued love, support and prayers as we press on with this pandemic. We are grateful for the little changes that allow for a glimpse of what life was like before COVID-19 and are immensely grateful to be healthy, vaccinated and heading in the right direction.
With immense gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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February 9, 2021
Great news! On Friday, February 5 our residents and staff received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, at staff testing last week all results were negative for the virus. On Saturday, February 6 we ended the week-long room quarantine for residents so we are back to socially-distanced activities and mass. We are so grateful that the uptick in staff cases did not result in an outbreak in our community. We feel that we are getting closer and closer to normalcy but until instructed otherwise, we continue to follow the directives of the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC regarding precautions and restrictions.
Thank you for continuing to support on this journey. Your prayers and words of support mean so much.
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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January 29, 2021
Dear Family and Friends of Light of Hearts Villa,
I am happy to communicate that the COVID team from Absolute Pharmacy was able to move our clinic date up for our vaccine! The clinic will now take place on 2/5/2021. The team will arrive at about 9:00 AM and the clinic will start at 9:30 AM. The clinic will take place at Light of Hearts Villa in our Activity Center where the Pharmacy Strike Force Team will work with our Director of Wellness, Donna Allen to ensure safe delivery of the vaccine. The pharmacy will return 21 days later to administer the second dose.
Since our correspondence on January 15, 2021, we received four (4) more positive COVID-19 cases within our staff bringing our total to 16 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. As required by the Ohio Department of Health, we will continue to test all staff weekly or if they become symptomatic. Resident testing will remain strategic and based on symptoms and exposure. We did test all Lumen Lane residents on 1/27/2021 and all tests came back negative. We did have an assisted living resident test positive at the hospital on 1/21/2021. She was admitted to the hospital with a condition unrelated to COVID-19. She returned to the building on 1/28/2021. As a safety precaution, all residents have been encouraged to remain in their rooms until the vaccine date. If they choose to leave their apartment, we are requesting that they wear their mask at all times. They can continue to have family visits and hair appointments.
Residents have been actively participating in life enrichment and mass activities in their rooms and are in good spirits. Some residents have contacted me to thank us for keeping them safe. I know I may put a few measures in place that may seem extreme, but please know I only want the best for your loved one. I have a grandfather in a community too, so I understand on a very personal level what you may be feeling. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us. Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer LNHA, CDP Donna Allen, RN
Executive Director Director of Wellness
Breanne.cavileer@lightofheartsvilla.org Donna.allen@lightofheartsvilla.org
440-232-1991 ext. 503 440-232-1991 ext. 517
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January 27, 2021
Dear Light of Hearts Villa Family and Friends,
I am writing to inform you that we recently had 2 staff members on Lumen Lane test positive for COVID-19. Both caregivers were in the building prior to receiving positive test results. Once staff members became aware of positive test results they immediately informed Donna Allen (Director of Wellness) and were sent home to quarantine. As a precaution, we will be testing all Lumen Lane residents for COVID-19.
In order to best protect your loved one and keep them safe as we move closer to our vaccine date, we will be quarantining all residents to their rooms. This is to ensure that the resident remains healthy prior to the vaccine date so that they can get the vaccine. If a resident should become ill at all (either with COVID-19 or any other illness), they will not be eligible to receive the vaccine at the time of our vaccine clinic.
In an effort to keep all residents engaged and active we will be broadcasting activities and religious services to resident rooms via our in-house TV channel system. Residents will be able to see and hear the activity or religious service and participate from the safety of their rooms.
We will continue to conduct family visits as scheduled as long as the residents remain symptom free. As required by the Ohio Department of Health, we will continue to test all staff weekly or if they become symptomatic. Resident testing will remain strategic and based on symptoms and exposure.
Regarding the vaccine, we were only hopeful that we would receive the vaccine in early January. Unfortunately, Absolute Pharmacy (the pharmacy that we use) was told that they had to complete all the vaccines at the skilled nursing facilities first before they could move onto assisted living facilities. That is when we received our date of February 15 and it was only a tentative date. Absolute Pharmacy seems confident that our date will remain February 15.
We are all set and anxiously awaiting our vaccine date! It has most definitely been a frustrating process especially because we have no control over what date we are given. If you want to take your loved one out to get the vaccine prior to February 15, you can do so. When the resident returns they will quarantine per policy rules. Please note you will also be responsible for taking them to receive their second dose of the vaccine. Please make us aware if you are choosing this route by contacting Donna Allen, Director of Wellness at donna.allen@lightofheartsvilla.org or 440-232-1991 ext. 517.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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January 15, 2021
Dear Family and Friends of Light of Hearts Villa,
As we embark full steam ahead into 2021, we do so with excitement and good news to share regarding the scheduling of our COVID-19 vaccine clinic! Just this week, we were provided with the tentative date of February 15, 2021 for our residents and staff to receive the vaccine. This date could change depending on the number of cases in Ohio and we will keep you informed if it does.
Recently this week, we received two more positive COVID-19 cases within our staff bringing our total to 12 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. We are hopeful and confident that it was not spread. We continue to test staff weekly.
The vaccine clinic will take place at Light of Hearts Villa in our Activity Center where the Pharmacy Strike Force Team will work with our Director of Wellness, Donna Allen to ensure safe delivery of the vaccine. The pharmacy will return 21 days later to administer the second dose.
We are pleased thus far with the amount of staff and residents who are opting in to receiving the vaccine. While the majority of our staff have opted in, we want to ensure you that the employees who have opted out right now pose no greater threat to resident safety than they have posed to our residents and co-workers for the past 10 months before there was a vaccine option. We will continue to require masks and other PPE, just as we always have. Hand washing and other sanitation measures will remain in place and all COVID safety protocols will be maintained, even after the vaccine has been administered.
Additionally, while we are excited and relieved to be able to finally provide the COVID-19 vaccine to residents and staff, our focus will remain on keeping everyone safe and healthy. Until instructed otherwise, we must continue to follow the directives of the Ohio Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control regarding precautions and restrictions. This means our current policies regarding visitation, mask wearing and quarantining will not change for the time being.
We continue to plan for the time when we will be permitted to lift these restrictions, so that we will be ready to act when permitted to do so.
I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for your support during this pandemic. The donations of meals, holiday treats, sanitizing products and greeting cards over the holidays has truly been an overwhelming display of kindness. Please know that my staff and I are endlessly appreciative of your support and we treasure the honor of taking care of your loved one.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact either one of us directly at any time.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer LNHA, CDP Donna Allen, RN
Executive Director Director of Wellness
Breanne.cavileer@lightofheartsvilla.org Donna.allen@lightofheartsvilla.org
440-232-1991 ext. 503 440-232-1991 ext. 517
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December 29, 2020
Dear Light of Hearts Villa Community,
We are deeply grateful for a joyous celebration of Christmas with our residents. We owe a debt of gratitude to our hard-working and wonderful staff members who have risen to the occasion in battling this difficult year. We also owe a massive amount of thanks to our incredible community of family and friends who have showed up for us in so many ways this year. Truly, it takes a village and we are so thankful.
We wanted to send one last 2020 update in regards to the COVID-19 virus and how it has impacted Light of Hearts Villa:
• To this point, we have had nine (9) total staff members test positive for the COVID-19 virus in 2020
Most recently we had a cook in the dietary department test positive on 12/21/2020
• We recently had one resident admitted to the hospital for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, where the resident tested positive
• We currently do not have any symptomatic residents and are strategically testing residents as needed
• As of 12/28/2020, instead of bi-weekly testing of staff members, we have begun weekly testing of all staff members
• We are hopeful we will have our vaccine date from our pharmacy by the end of 2020 and we will keep you all updated
Reminder: If you received vaccine consent forms for your loved one, please return it as soon as possible
Many of you are showing your gratitude and support in this season of giving by making a donation, buying staff lunch, sending in treats and goodies… and we are SO thankful. You’re truly making the days of our staff and residents a bit easier.
For those who are asking what our needs are at this time – due to our extensive cleaning and sanitation protocols in place, we are continually running low on aerosol disinfectant sprays such as Lysol or Microban and disinfectant cleaning wipes.
Your continued prayers and words of encouragement are appreciated more than you know. We hope you all had a very blessed and Merry Christmas and may the year 2021 bring in blessings and joy for us all.
With gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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December 3, 2020
With the holidays approaching, Light of Hearts Villa would like to thank all residents and families for their patience and understanding of all policies that have been put into place to keep our community safe and free of the COVID-19 virus. We continue to remain free of the virus going into December and want to remind you of a few important aspects of safety as we approach the holiday season.
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Just a reminder that residents may go out of the building for the holiday and even leave for a few days. However, it is very important to maintain social distancing as much as possible, perform good hand hygiene frequently, and everyone should wear a mask while your loved one is at home, except for eating and drinking. Please let us know 2 days in advance if you will be taking your loved one home for the holiday.
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Upon your loved one’s return to LOHV, the same process is in place. They will need a mask on to re-enter the building, temperature will be taken at the door, staff will escort them back to their room and the room quarantine will be in place per policy.
HAND HYGIENE IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
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Hand hygiene technique with soap and water
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Wet hands with water using a comfortable temperature
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Apply appropriate soap (no bar soap), and wash hands and wrists vigorously for at least 20 seconds, covering all surfaces of hands and wrists
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Rinse hands under running water keeping fingertips pointed down, ensure you do not contaminate hands by touching the inside of the sink or faucet
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Thoroughly dry hands and wrists with a paper towel, then discard the paper towel in the trash
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Get a clean dry paper towel to turn off the faucet, then discard the paper towel in the trash
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Hand hygiene technique for waterless hand sanitizer
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Apply product to palm of one hand
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Rub hands together covering all surfaces of the hands/finger until they are dry
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LOHV wishes all residents and families a blessed holiday season filled with love, compassion and thankfulness.
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November 11, 2020
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Good news! In an effort to improve our residents’ quality of life, we are changing our Quarantine Policy. This will be reduced to 7 days instead of 14 and policy highlights are as follows:
- The 7-day quarantine begins the day the resident enters the building
- COVID testing will happen on day 6 and the resident will be released from their room once the negative test results are received and they have remained symptom free
- If a positive test is received, or the resident is symptomatic, the resident will remain quarantined for a minimum of 14 days and/or until symptom free
- Only Wellness personnel will enter the resident’s room
- The resident will not be allowed visitors during their quarantine period
We want to continue to extend a sincere and heartfelt thank-you for your continuous support. We are grateful that the indoor visitation policy is going well and we remain free of the virus.
We are continuing to take extra precautions with sanitation – if you find aerosol sprays (like Lysol) or Clorox Wipes while you are out anywhere, please let us know or be so kind as to donate a bottle.
We are also making sure Thanksgiving will be special for your loved ones. We know it will be difficult to not get together but we will be gathering (socially distant style) in the Activity Center for a delicious meal and some extra goodies.
Thank you again for your prayers and partnership.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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October 15, 2020
Dear Friends and Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
I want to thank you all for your continued support of our community. These are challenging times for all of us. Despite the restrictions this pandemic has provided, each day our team enters the building with the goal of giving quality care and making our residents smile and enjoy their day. We would not be able to fulfil our mission without our dedicated staff and your loving support.
This communication is sent to provide an update regarding visitation at Light of Hearts Villa (LOHV). Over the summer, LOHV was able to offer outdoor visitation as a safe way to reconnect with your family members. Many of you have taken advantage of the opportunity to visit in our outdoor space and we were pleased to be able to offer a safe place for meaningful visits. Many family members and friends have expressed concern regarding visitation as the weather changes. Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has granted permission for indoor visitation in Assisted Living Communities.
While I am excited to announce the opportunity for indoor visitation, ODH has also implemented many new rules and requirements for safe visitation. LOHV has developed an indoor visitation space to meet all requirements from ODH. Below, I will outline our new indoor visitation process that will begin on Monday, October 19.
Indoor Visitation Requirements:
- Only two visitors at a time (Two visitors must live in the same household)
- All visitors must be capable of social distancing
- 30-minute maximum visitation time in the designated area
- Visitors will be taken to the visitation area and escorted back out
- The same, if necessary, with residents
- Visits will need to be scheduled in advance and the visitation areas disinfected between visits
- All visitors must maintain social distance and wear a mask provided by LOHV
- Restrooms will not be available for public use
Family Member/Friends Procedure:
- Family Members/Friends must sign up via the link provided and at least two days in advance
- Enter the building at the main entrance of LOHV at least 10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment
- Provide identification for all individuals visiting (Driver’s license, State ID or Name Tag)
- Upon entering, sanitize your hands and wait in the vestibule until the receptionist lets you into the building
- The receptionist will provide a surgical level mask to all visitors and take your temperature before granting access to the visitation room
- You will be escorted into the visitation room, please use hand sanitizer upon entering room
- You will be seated on the far side of the room, once seated complete the CDC questionnaire
- As stated on the CDC questionnaire, if you answer “yes” to any of the questions, you will not be permitted to proceed with the visit
- Once the CDC questionnaire is complete and temperature has been recorded, the resident will be escorted into the visitation room
The visitation room at Light of Hearts Villa is located just off the Main Entrance/Reception Lobby. The receptionist will be present during visiting hours to guide you through the process of your visit. To give all residents an opportunity to visit with their loved ones, we are respectfully requesting that each family/friend sign up for no more than one visit per day.
I appreciate and understand how difficult it has been to be away from your loved ones and look forward to providing a safe space to visit. The guidelines and requirements listed above are designed to keep you and your loved one safe during visits. Ultimately, safety and good health of our residents, staff and visitors is our highest priority. We continue to have zero resident COVID-19 cases in our building thanks to the diligence, planning and teamwork of our staff, residents, and families.
I am excited to begin the indoor visitation program. I hope that you enjoy the visitation space and that it provides a welcoming place to reconnect with your loved one and to have a meaningful visit.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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September 22, 2020
Dear Friends & Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
Happy Fall! As we enter into another season during this pandemic, we are grateful for the continued health and safety of our residents and staff. Still to this date, we have only had three positive COVID-19 cases at Light of Hearts Villa, all cases were staff members who have all recovered. We are continuing to be diligent in our safety and sanitation protocols, including extensive cleaning, mask-wearing, enforcing social distancing and much more.
As cold weather approaches, we are awaiting Governor DeWine’s announcements on indoor visitation at assisted living organizations and how they will need to be conducted. We have begun discussing and planning what this will look like at our facility and we will keep you updated as these plans take place.
We have also received word from the Ohio Assisted Living Association (OALA) that the state has approved regular COVID-19 testing for assisted living staff members. Once the schedule is confirmed, we will begin testing and then we will be required to test every staff member every two weeks. We will keep you all updated as we take these next steps to ensure we remain safe and free of COVID-19.
We are also continuing to work towards our dining hall opening for our residents. We acknowledge this is an important socialization aspect of their lives, and we want to allow this to happen in a safe and socially distanced manner. We have crafted a plan to allow for dining together on Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in the Activity Center, where we can safely socially distance the tables. We are working through the barriers of how to transition all of our residents into the dining area with the elevators and maintaining distance from each other. We will have more updates in the weeks to come.
On another note, we have also decorated for the autumn season, just ended an incredible week of celebration for National Assisted Living Week, and are gearing up for our upcoming virtual event, Forever Remember.
Reminder – the online auction/raffle portion of the event goes live on Wednesday, October 7 so login to event.gives/foreverremember for all of your event details! There are many unique and exciting prizes you can bid on, purchase a raffle ticket for, or just donate the typical amount you may have spent to attend Fall Fest in the past! This year, more than ever, as we navigate the world of virtual fundraising, your support means the world. If you have any questions at all, please contact our Development Manager Amy Huntley at amy.huntley@lightofheartsvilla.org or 440-232-1991 ext. 524.
We are so grateful for a community who goes the extra mile for us when we need it – thank you for being our prayer warriors and supporters when we need it most.
All my gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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August 18, 2020 - Monthly Update
Dear Friends & Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
We come to you with another monthly update! Our residents are thrilled that our salon is open again and are feeling more like themselves with their new hair-dos, increased sizes of group activities, our live-streamed chapel services, and more shade and socially distant relaxation areas on the patio.
To date, since the beginning of the pandemic 6 months ago, we have had three positive COVID-19 cases at Light of Hearts Villa. All cases were staff members who have all recovered and we still have not had any positive cases in our residents, nor is anyone experiencing symptoms of the virus. We are continuing to do everything we can to keep our community safe.
We urge you to continue to take advantage of our visitation set-up. The current structure, visiting through the glass door, allows both you and your loved one to be mask-free, enjoy a private visit and our noise-cancelling headphones allows your loved one to hear your every word. We have an internal team that meets weekly to discuss our COVID-19 policies and we are consistently working on ways we can make our residents feel good and stay safe.
Additionally, we are still working on a plan to safely open our dining hall for even more social interaction for our residents and will keep you updated as these plans progress. We have also been preparing to celebrate National Assisted Living Week in September by doing something fun for our staff and residents.
In the next few weeks, you will receive a mailing with information on our virtual fundraiser, Forever Remember, which be held on Thursday, November 12 from 12 – 1 PM and proceeds will support the renovation and expansion of our Lumen Lane Memory Care Center. We will have raffle items and other ways to donate beginning October 7th. Stay tuned and please prayerfully consider how you can support us in this important endeavor.
As always, thank you for entrusting your loved one’s care with us, for praying with us and supporting our efforts on this journey. It takes a village!
With love & gratitude,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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July 15, 2020- Salon & Dining Hall Update
Dear Friends & Family of Light of Hearts Villa,
For many reasons, I am very happy to write to you this month! The first reason is that we still do not have any cases of COVID-19 and spirits have been lifted among our residents ever since we began our new visitation policy a month ago. Thank you for your support and understanding as we continue to take massive precautions to keep our community safe. As the City of Bedford has now been announced as a COVID-19 “hotspot,” we are even more confident in our decision to continue visitation under its current method.
The second reason I am excited, is that we are officially allowed to re-open the salon on July 20, 2020! This is a fantastic update for our residents’ mental health and overall happiness. They have been asking for this for a while and we are excited that the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is lifting this particular restriction. We have written a formal policy on how to safely and effectively make this happen. We are following all of ODH’s guidelines on the re-opening of the salon which can be found here >
As our residents’ well-being is our main priority, we have been working hard to create enjoyable life enrichment activities, live stream our chapel services, encourage them to participate in our walking club and have even added more shade and socially distant relaxation areas on our beautiful patio.
Additionally, we know the social aspect of dining together is something our residents are missing. We have started to prepare our dining hall to re-open for meals in a safe manner. The recent guidelines from ODH have included that this is something that assisted living facilities can begin to do as well as increasing the size of group activities. We are continuing to be cautious but are eager to make these small changes for our residents. We will have more updates for you in the weeks to come.
Thank you for being on this unprecedented journey with us. Please to continue to pray for the safety and health of our residents and staff members and as always, thank you for entrusting your loved one’s care with us.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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June 9, 2020 - Updated Visitation Policy
Dear Family Member/Friend,
Light of Hearts Villa is now allowing face-to-face family/friend visitation. As an Assisted Living Facility we must ensure the safety of our residents and their families. Proper preparation and sanitation procedures as directed by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be followed by all Light of Hearts Villa staff and visitors.
Due to the Lumen Lane addition project and for added privacy, visits will be held as follows:
The resident will remain inside the building in front of a glass door with headphones and a community cell phone to use. Residents may bring their own cell phone if preferred. The family members will be located outside under a covered area. The phone number to the community phone will be posted in the visitation area.
Family members and friends must schedule visits in advance by contacting the receptionist at 440-232-1991. Visits will take place daily from 9am-7pm excluding meal times. All visits are limited to thirty minutes once a day.
The following guidelines must be followed by all visitors:
• Follow signs on the orange cones for parking closest to the visitation area (near the Administration wing of the building).
• Sanitize your hands before you enter the visitation area.
• You must provide your own mask (wearing a mask is optional based on your comfort level) except for visiting at a residents open window where it is mandatory.
• While in the visitation area, try not to touch your face.
• Please do not open the door
• If you feel sick prior to having your family/friend visit, understand the importance of rescheduling your visitation time.
COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, is respiratory disease. Symptoms, which generally appear two to 14 days after exposure, include cough or shortness of breath/difficulty breathing. These symptoms range from mild to severe; however, some people with COVID-19 have no symptoms which is why it so important to wear a mask while visitation is taking place. It’s important to fully respond to all the screening questions you are asked in terms of symptoms or contact with individuals either with active COVID-19 or who have been exposed to COVID-19.
COVID-19 is believed to spread mainly from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) with one another and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It also may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes.
Older adults may show very different signs and symptoms, such as lethargy, disorientation and general fatigue. Older adults, people with chronic health conditions, and people with compromised immune systems are more likely to become more severely ill which is why all recommendations should be followed during visitation with your loved one.
This time has been difficult for everyone involved. You, as family members/friends have done an amazing job helping our community keep your loved one safe. We understand and appreciate your role in this as well. We ask that you continue to work with us as we move into this new and exciting phase of visitation. We want to remind you that in some cases your loved one may not respond as you expected when you are first visiting. It may take a little time for them to “get used to you again." Being positive, reassuring and loving should be the order of the day.
We look forward to the beginning stage of this reopening for both you and your loved one. We are here to assist in any way possible during this transition and appreciate your efforts to continue to keep your loved one safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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April 30, 2020 - Family and Friends Update
Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you for your continued patience as the situation with the coronavirus continues to evolve. As you know, the safety and security of our residents and staff is our TOP priority.
I know there has been significant discussion in the local and national media about the impacts of this virus on nursing and assisted living homes and we will continue to be very transparent about our status at Light of Hearts Villa. I am pleased to report that currently we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19, neither with residents or team members. We believe this is due to the decisive and early action we took as soon as this crisis started to unfold, including shutting our doors to visitors early on and initiating screening of all employees even before it was mandated by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
We hope all of this demonstrates our commitment to doing everything we possibly can to keep your loved one safe and healthy. We are continuing to be diligent in following protocols from the ODH and have thorough steps in place to ensure the safety and security of our residents and team members in the event that we do get a case of the virus. Part of this emergency response plan is to inform you of any confirmed case within 24 hours via email. If you are unsure if we have an updated email on file for you, please contact us at (440) 232-1991 or info@lightofheartsvilla.org.
I know everyone is excited to return to some sort of normalcy. However, at this time Light of Hearts Villa’s safety procedures will remain the same for the unforeseen future until we are provided with further information. We know it has been difficult not being able to visit loved ones, but we continue to do our best to keep everyone in touch virtually, and to do everything we can to maintain a normal routine for our residents.
Please know that we see you as part of our team—we are in this together. Now more than ever, we need your continued prayers and support to keep residents healthy. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at any time at (440) 232-1991 or info@lightofheartsvilla.org.
Warm Regards,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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April 22, 2020 - Update for Partners and Supporters
Light of Hearts Villa staff members are still continuing to take the COVID-19 pandemic very seriously and the health and well-being of our residents and team members remain our absolute top priority. We are fortunate to announce that we still do not have any active cases of COVID-19, neither with our residents or team members.
We understand that these are uncertain and concerning times for you. Please know that we see you as part of our team—we are in this together. Now more than ever, we need your continued prayers and support to keep residents healthy.
If you are interested in supporting the dedicated, hard-working individuals who are caring for our residents each day, we welcome you to donate and make your gift "In Honor of Light of Hearts Villa Staff." Everyone from our nurses, aids, wellness team, kitchen and sanitation staff members will be delighted to know they are appreciated during these difficult times.
We humbly ask you to give what you can during this difficult time to help. Any amount you can give will ensure that Light of Hearts Villa continues to provide the vital services to our community.
URGENT NEEDS
We appreciate those who have reached out wanting to lend a hand during this time! Your support is needed to keep our residents and staff safe and healthy. We are currently in need of:
- Operating funds to cover the additional costs of food services, costs of paying overtime as a result of a reduced workforce, and paying increased supply costs for additional disinfecting and medical supply products
-
Fabric masks
- Hand Sanitizer (must contain alcohol)
- Disinfectant Wipes (Clorox Disinfecting Wipes or comparable brand/maker containing 60% alcohol)
If you would like to donate items such as hand sanitizer, fabric masks or disinfecting wipes, please contact Development Manager Amy Huntley at amy.huntley@lightofheartsvilla.org or (440) 232-1991 ext. 524.
Lend your support during this difficult time >
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March 17, 2020 - Dining Hall Update
Dear Light of Hearts Villa Community,
I am writing to provide an update in our efforts to help contain the
spread of corona virus and to comply with State and Federal directives.
First and foremost, I am happy to report that we have not experienced
the corona virus at any level – neither residents, employees nor their
family & friends. We give thanks to God for keeping us free from
this pandemic! Continue to pray for deliverance from illness and for the
continued good health of all of our Light of Hearts Villa community.
For our part, we are taking extensive measures to ensure the health and
safety of all. Each person entering the facility - whether employee,
resident, physician and all others essential for our operation – must
submit to a wellness check to ensure that they are in good health. Staff
have been trained on cleanliness and hygiene procedures, and a
heightened sense of awareness regarding disease control permeates
throughout the facility. You can have confidence that our residents are
in good hands!
Over the weekend, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
issued new directives for all licensed facilities across the country
regarding congregate meals and activities. Their guidance, which
coincides with that of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), recommends
“social distancing” to avoid the transmission of the corona virus from
person to person.
The surest way to enact this recommendation is to encourage residents to
be served meals in their own rooms. Therefore, meal service in the dining rooms,
as well as resident group activities, have been modified to ensure that
residents maintain approximately six feet between themselves and others.
In this way, the needs and the dignity of residents will be maintained while,
at the same time, we will be keeping them safe from the spread of the corona virus.
Undoubtedly, recommendations from CMS and the CDC will continue to
challenge us as the corona virus situation evolves. We, at Light of Hearts Villa
and the Sisters of Charity Health System, firmly believe that
responsible management calls us to proceed with an abundance of caution.
The health and well-being of our residents must remain our primary
focus, and so we are committed to complying with directives from our
State and Federal agencies.
We thank our residents, and we thank you, for your cooperation and
understanding during this unprecedented time of public health crisis.
Together, we will keep our residents safe and healthy while continuing
to meet their social needs.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
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March 12, 2020 - COVID-19 Statement
Dear Light of Hearts Villa Community,
We, at Light of Hearts Villa, acknowledge that there are many questions and concerns regarding the COVID-19 virus. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), seniors are at the greatest risk of illness and/or death from the COVID-19 virus. I am writing to communicate important information that is essential for the well-being of our residents. Whether you are a family member, friend, volunteer, or congregation member, we know that you share our concern for the health and safety of our residents. For this reason, we know that you will understand and appreciate the extraordinary circumstances brought about by the emergence of the virus.
On March 11th, the Director of the Ohio Department of Health, Dr. Amy Acton, at the direction of Governor DeWine, issued a binding directive to all nursing homes in the State of Ohio restricting all non-essential persons from visiting. Specifically, the order compels us to “restrict access to all homes only to those personnel who are absolutely necessary for the operation of the homes." For this reason, it is incumbent on us to suspend all outside visitors – including delivery persons, volunteers and those attending daily Mass. I realize the burden this places on family members and loved ones, and I share your disappointment and concern. Your understanding that the health and well-being of our residents is our highest priority makes you an important and essential partner in their care. Everyone is encouraged to find alternative means of “visiting," such as telephone calls, Facetime, Skype or e-mail. While these precautions may seem extensive, they are in the best interest of our residents, and I am grateful for your understanding and cooperation.
At the time Dr. Acton’s order was enacted, no end date was given. The presumption is that the visiting restrictions will remain in place for several weeks – perhaps longer. Please refer to our website for status updates, as we intend to post the most up-to-date information as it emerges.
Again, thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this unprecedented circumstance. Please know that we share the same goal: the well-being of our residents. Working together, we will weather this storm and emerge better for embracing these necessary sacrifices.
Sincerely,
Breanne Cavileer, LNHA, CDP
Executive Director
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7