Letter to Families

May 10, 2021

Dear Big Sky Residents & Family Members:

We are please to announce that we are extending our visitation hours from 9 am to 6 pm Monday thru Friday and 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday & Sunday. You must check in and screen at the Front Desk before entering the building.

We do not currently have any active COVID-19 cases in the building. We continue to test employees monthly. If we were to have a resident or staff member test positive, we will be required to go back into outbreak mode and may stop all visitation, communal dining, activities, and residents would be required to isolate in their apartments.

As I have stated in past communication, we need to continue to be cautious and follow all safety precautions.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we will update you with changes as they occur.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

Letter to Families

March 11, 2021

Dear Residents & Family Members:

CMS has made some changes to the recommendations on visitation. We are making changes in-line with their recommendations. The rules for face-to-face visits are listed below:

• One visitor per resident
• Visitation will be allowed 7 days per week from 10 am to 4 pm, visitors must leave the building by 4 pm.
• There will be a limit of six visitors per day
• Visits are scheduled on a first come first serve basis.
• Visits are to take place in resident apartments only, no visits in common areas or another resident’s apartment.
• Visitors will be screened prior to entering the facility.
• Visitors must wear a mask and practice social distancing.
• Visitors must call ahead to schedule your visit.

The major change is that visitors are not required to have been vaccinated. Positivity rate needs to remain lower than 10% to be able to continue these face-to-face visits.

We do not currently have any active COVID-19 cases in the building. We continue to test employees weekly. If we were to have a resident or staff member test positive, we will be required to go back into outbreak mode and may stop all visitation, communal dining, activities, and residents would be required to isolate in their apartments.

Family and friends are still able to come to the Main Building Entrance to drop off supplies. We will still have visits in the visitation stations in the Library for overflow from the face-to-face visits. The hours for family members and friends to drop off any items to be delivered to the residents or for Library visits are Monday thru Friday 9 am to 6:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm.

As I have stated in past communication, we need to continue to be cautious and follow all safety precautions.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we will update you with changes as they occur.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

Letter to Families

March 2, 2021

Dear Residents & Family Members:

I am excited to let you know that effective Friday, March 5^th, we will be allowing some face-to-face visits in the building. The rules for face-to-face visits are listed below:

• Visitors must have received both doses of the vaccine 2 weeks prior to visitation.
  • (must be able to show your vaccination card at the time of visit)
• One visitor per resident every 14 days.
• Visitation will be allowed 7 days per week from 10 am to 4 pm, visitors must leave the building by 4 pm.
• We will allow six visitors per day.
• Visits are scheduled on a first come first serve basis.
• Visits are to take place in resident apartments only, no visits in common areas or another resident’s apartment.
• All visitors will be screened prior to entering the facility.
• Visitors must wear a mask and practice social distancing.
• Visitors must call ahead to schedule your visit.

We do not currently have any active COVID-19 cases in the building. We continue to test employees weekly. If we were to have a resident or staff member test positive, we will be required to go back into outbreak mode and stop all visitation, communal dining, activities, and residents would be required to isolate in their apartments.

Family and friends are still able to come to the Main Building Entrance to drop off supplies or have visits in the visitation stations in the Library. We also allow face to face visits by visitors that have tested positive for COVID longer than two weeks ago, but no longer than 90 days ago. The hours for family members and friends to drop off any items to be delivered to the residents or for Library visits are Monday thru Friday 9 am to 6:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Our need to continue to be cautious has not abated. In an effort to keep our residents safe, we are following all rules set forth by the State of Montana. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we will update you with changes as they occur.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

Letter to Families

January 21, 2021

Dear Residents & Family Members:

I am beyond excited to report that we continue this week to remain Covid free at Big Sky! Even more exciting is that we held our first vaccine clinic and all but seven of our residents were vaccinated and those seven will get theirs on the next round. We vaccinated approximately 70% of our staff and there will be more staff that will get it on the next round. We were even able to get some family members of residents and staff vaccinated as they had a few extra doses. Residents and staff will receive their second vaccine on February 9^thor March 1^st.

There are a lot of questions as to mask wearing and visitation after we get the vaccine and unfortunately, I don’t have answers just yet. We continue to follow the CDC, State and local rules and guidelines. I will continue to communicate any changes as the occur.

For now, we will follow the same schedule for family and friends. You need to call the Front Desk and schedule a time for visits in the library. The hours for visiting are 9 am to 6:00 pm Monday – Friday and 9:00 am – 4:30 pm on the weekends. To accommodate everyone, we limit the visits to 30 minutes. Family and friends are still able to come to the Main Building Entrance to drop off supplies. The hours for Family members and friends to drop off any items to be delivered to the residents are Monday thru Friday 9 am to 6:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm.

For those family members who have had COVID, we may be able to allow visitation in the resident’s apartment. You will need to supply us with the health department documentation that tells us when you tested positive and the date you were released from isolation. The guideline we must follow is you have to be past 20 days from your release from isolation and no longer than 90 days from that date. During that window you can come into the building and visit with your family member in their apartment. We would still ask that you follow all safety precautions with masks and social distancing. Please make sure that you take are of all necessary paperwork during business hours, Monday – Friday 8 am to 5 pm as it must be cleared through administration so that the front desk staff knows who is eligible for this visitation.

We need to continue to be cautious as any positive test will result in residents going back to staying and eating in their apartments. We need to continue to follow all rules set forth by Butte Silver Bow the State of Montana.

We will update you with any changes as they occur.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

Letter to Families

January 8, 2021

Dear Residents & Family Members:

I am pleased to tell you that again this week we tested all staff and are 100% negative!

We have had 19 employees and 28 residents in the main building and 3 residents in our cottages that have tested positive since November 8th. We do not currently have any active cases in the building.

On Monday, January 4^th, residents were once again allowed to come out of their apartments and the Beauty Shop opened. Resident’s will start communal dining in the dining room and family visitations in the library will resume on Monday, January 11^th.

Family and friends will need to call the Front Desk and schedule a time for visits in the library. The hours for visiting are 9 am to 6:00 pm Monday – Friday and 9:00 am – 4:30 pm on the weekends. To accommodate everyone, we limit the visits to 30 minutes. Family and friends are still able to come to the Main Building Entrance to drop off supplies. The hours for Family members and friends to drop off any items to be delivered to the residents are Monday thru Friday 9 am to 6:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm.

For those family members who have had COVID we may be able to allow visitation in the resident’s room. You will need to supply us with the health department documentation that tells us when you tested positive and the date you were released from isolation. The guideline we must follow is you have to be past 20 days from your release from isolation and no longer than 90 days from that date. During that window you can come into the building and visit with your family member in their room. We would still ask that you follow all safety precautions with masks and social distancing. Please make sure that you take care of all necessary paperwork during business hours Monday – Friday 8 am – 5 pm as it must be cleared through administration so that the front desk staff knows who is eligible for this.

Walgreens will be at Big Sky on February 10th to administer the first dose of the vaccine to staff and residents. They will be back on March 3^rd and March 24^th to be sure that everyone has the opportunity to be vaccinated. There were 29 employees that have not had COVID and were given their first dose yesterday, the 7^th. They will receive their 2^nd dose on February 3^.

We need to continue to be cautious as any positive test will result in residents going back to staying and eating in their rooms. We need to continue to follow all rules set forth by Butte Silver Bow the State of Montana. We will update you with any changes as they occur.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

Letter to Families

December 15, 2020

Dear Residents & Family Members:

I wanted to take the time to share our great news with you. All residents were tested Friday, December 11th, and 100% of our residents tested negative. We will continue our regimen of testing and will be doing so for the foreseeable future.

We have had 17 employees and 26 residents in the main building and 2 residents in our cottages that have tested positive since November 8th. We currently have 11 active cases of staff and residents.

We are sad to report that we have had 3 resident deaths. This is extremely difficult for all the staff and residents as these residents are part of our Big Sky Family. We ask that you keep these residents and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Our restriction on communal dining and group activities will stay in place and our residents are required to stay in their rooms.

Family and friends are still able to come to the Main Building Entrance to drop off supplies. The hours for Family members and friends to drop off any items to be delivered to residents are Monday thru Friday 9 am to 6:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Information regarding a vaccine has been rolling out and we are set up with Walgreens to start receiving the vaccine as soon as it is available. We will continue to communicate any information we have as it becomes available.

Our need to continue to be cautious has not abated, and we are following all rules set forth by the State of Montana in order to keep our residents safe. As before, please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we will update you with changes as they occur.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

COVID-19 Update

December 10, 2020

Dear Residents & Family Members:

I wanted to take the time to update you to the present COVID-19 status of our community. We have continued our regimen of testing and will be doing so for the forseeable future. We have received notification from our testing that we have 16 employees who have been infected as well as 26 residents in the main building and 2 residents in cottages. All the employees and residents who have shown positive test results have been sent home and are in isolation or are in isolation within the main building.

We are sad to report that we have had 3 resident deaths. This is extremely difficult for all the staff and residents as these residents are part of our Big Sky Family. We ask that you keep these residents and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Our restriction on communal dining and group activities will stay in place and our residents are required to stay in their rooms.

Family and visitors are still able to come to the Main Building Entrance to drop off supplies.

Information regarding a vaccine has been rolling out and we are set up with Walgreens to start receiving the vaccine as soon as it is available. We will continue to communicate any informamation we have as it becomes available.

Our need to continue to be cautious has not abated, and we are following all rules set forth by the State of Montana in order to keep our residents safe. As before, please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we will update you with changes as they occur.

if you are currently not receiving our email updates, please contact the front desk with your email address at 406-494-4900 or send it via email to kcrippen@hmsmt.com and we will add you to the email group. Going forward we will not be mailing these notices out. We will send you an email or you can read any updates on the BSSL website, bigskyseniorliving.com. This will allow us to inform you much quicker of any updates you need to be aware of.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

Coronavirus and Visitation

Revised August 5, 2020

Visitation Education/Rules:

Monday through Friday 9 am to 6:30 pm

Saturday & Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm

by Appointment Only

• All visitors must screen at the front entrance BEFORE a visit. (This includes a temp check, asking questions of possible symptoms, asking questions of possible exposure.)

• You must do a 20 second Hand Hygene with Alcohol Rub (ABR) and wear a mask.

• Social distancing must be maintained during the visit. This always means 6 feet must be kept, ensuring safety for the resident(s). (No touch rules apply.)

• We will allow up to 4 visitors per visit.

• You must call and make an appointment; You will not be allowed to visit if you “just show up.” We must be mindful of others and their needs and visit appointments. Appointment times will be 30 minutes per visit.

• Do Not Come if you are Sick or If you have a known exposure! If you are not sure of these two conditions, please call and speak to a manager or infection control nurse at our facility if you are in doubt or have any questions.

• We have the right to refuse visitation if we feel that criteria set by the facility is not being met by residents and their visitors.

• Drop off hours are the same as visitation hours.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

How we’re monitoring the Coronavirus
(Covid-19)
And taking precautions

May 12, 2020

It is hard to believe we have completed our eighth week in lockdown due to COVID-19. Although the Governor has started with Phase 1 of relaxing the safeguards in place, Big Sky Senior Living will continue to be on lockdown.

We have been following the recommendations of the CDC and will continue on the same path until the CDC advises that we can start to relax some of the necessary precautions. These precautions have worked for us as we have zero cases of COVID-19 in our building to date. We will do everything possible to keep it that way, but the risk of exposure is still very real.

Some of what we have been doing in these eight weeks following the lockdown are;

• cancelling communal dining

• cancelling all public or non-essential group activities and events

• limiting visitors to essential medical visits

• cleaning and disinfecting of common areas and shared facilities

• encourage personal protective measures for residents and staff

• screening essential visitors and staff each and every time they enter our building.

I appreciate your understanding and support of the measures we have in place to keep your loved ones safe. These are difficult times and the separation from your loved ones is difficult but what we are doing is working and we will be continuing these safeguards until further notice.

If you would like to communicate with your family member via electronic methods, our Activity Department would be happy to help with that. Call Kelly Masom at 406-494-4900 and Kelly will set that up for you.

Our Front Desk is staffed 7 days a week from 6 am to 8 pm for any pick-up or drop offs that you need to make. We have volunteers that have done shopping or errands for residents and I thank our volunteers for that help. I also thank our staff for working hard to keep our residents safe.

Thank you again for your support in these uncertain times. I will continue to communicate with you as changes occur. Please feel free to call me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Lauri Yelenich

Administrator

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