FOCUS ON SENIORS
Area senior living communities aim to get residents vaccinated
CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. » As New York state continues to expand its COVID-19 vaccination program, local senior living communities are focused on getting residents vaccinated.
Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and independent living centers around the Capital Region are making efforts to vaccinate their resident populations.
Some residents of Prestwick Chase at Saratoga, located in Greenfield, received their first round of the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday from Rite Aid pharmacists.
“Over the last 10 months the staff at Prestwick Chase has worked diligently to keep the residents safe and healthy with the anticipation of being able to find a vaccine,” said John Rowe, director of marketing for Prestwick Chase at Saratoga. “In that time we have been fortunate not to have any cases at our facility. Everyone was so excited to be able to get the shot in the hopes of getting their lives back to normal.”
One of the Prestwick Chase residents that got the shot on Wednesday was Myra Freeman, who is in her early 70s and lives at the independent living community with her husband.
Before learning that the vaccine would be available right at Prestwick Chase, Freeman experienced firsthand the difficulty of trying to book an appointment on her own.
Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and independent living centers around the Capital Region are making efforts to vaccinate their resident populations.
“It’s quite a stressful situation for the seniors in the area,” she said. “It’s been, for the last two weeks, a scramble to try to get appointments.”
When Freeman was informed of the on-site event, she was delighted, both for herself and her peers at Prestwick Chase.
“I am so thrilled,” she said early in the week, while looking forward to her Wednesday appointment. “I am so thrilled to be here. I am so thrilled to have someone looking out for me, but especially for the 200 elderly people here, who couldn’t do it for themselves.”
What Freeman is most looking forward to about getting vaccinated is “knowing that there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.
The Wesley Community, in Saratoga Springs, is working on getting their folks vaccinated as well.
A total of 200 residents and 186 staff members at the Wesley Health Care Center, the long-term care facility on the campus of The Wesley Community, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. An additional 45 residents and 95 staff at Wesley Health Care Center will become fully vaccinated on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Another 98 residents and 56 staff at Woodlawn Commons, an independent and assisted living residence on the campus, have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and will receive their second dose on Feb. 8. Additionally, 10 staff members who work at Woodlawn Commons have been fully vaccinated due to their shared responsibilities on campus.
Additionally, a total of 186 residents and staff who reside at Embury Apartments, Wesley’s independent and maintenance-free senior apartments, have received their first dose of the vaccine and are tentatively scheduled for their second dose on Feb. 12.
“The Wesley Community is committed to the care and vaccination of our beloved residents and valued staff,” said J. Brian Nealon, CEO of The Wesley Community. “The COVID-19 global health pandemic has been very difficult on the residents, staff and families in our community. We are hopeful that administering these vaccinations to our most vulnerable residents and dedicated staff will allow the community to turn a pivotal corner in the battle against this pernicious virus.”
Vaccine doses are also being administered to eligible seniors who reside at Summit at Eastwyck in North Greenbush. This facility is taking action to help residents stay safe by partnering with the independent, family-owned Young’s Pharmacy of Averill Park.
On Wednesday, Young’s Pharmacy administered approximately 130 first doses of the vaccine to Summit at Eastwyck seniors, making about 90 percent of the population there now partially vaccinated.
Because Summit Senior Living communities classify as independent congregate housing, the residents were not eligible for vaccines as described in the state’s 1A group. But now that the qualifications have been expanded, they are.
However, vaccines are in short supply through the government channels. So Summit looked into other avenues to ensure that residents remain healthy.
Summit Senior Living is looking into making vaccines available to all its residents at its five Capital Region locations, which include Wilton, Glenville, Guilderland and Colonie.
Many residents are having difficulty navigating the online portals to schedule their own vaccines, so Summit Senior Living is doing everything it can to assist, according to the organization.
“We understand that this is a very scary and confusing process for our residents, and we want to be there for them for every step of the way,” said Jennifer Nelligan, director of sales and marketing at Summit Senior Living. “We will continue to work with Young’s Pharmacy to try and get all of our Summit residents vaccinated, to continue to keep our communities safe.”
COVID-19 vaccination information for Saratoga County residents, including instructions on how to make an appointment, is available online at www. saratogacountyny.gov.
To determine if one is currently eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, New York state residents can visit https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health. ny.gov.