Print
Coronavirus

Plantation Village Continues To Cope

By Christina Haley O'Neal, posted Dec 4, 2020
Plantation Village directors Susanne DelGrosso (left) and Johnna Glick retrieve grocery items from Harris Teeter as part of the community’s new weekly grocery delivery service for residents. (Photo c/o Plantation Village)
Plantation Village is continuing to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Lessons have been learned and changes made at the retirement community of just over 300 residents, ranging in ages from 62 to 100 years old, said Zane Bennett, executive director of Plantation Village, 1200 Porters Neck Road.
 
Bennett oversees the community’s day-to-day operations, and more recently, everything that has to do with COVID-19 prevention, education, risk management and health and well-being, he said.
 
As of November, there were no resident cases of the coronavirus at Plantation Village, Bennett said. But the community is still taking preventative measures, installing equipment and implementing new tactics to keep residents safe, while also focusing on their wellness.
 
GWBJ: How are things going, and is Plantation Village monitoring the surge in cases happening across the nation?
 
Bennett: “We’re proceeding with caution. Coming out of a holiday weekend, we have taken some preventative measures. So we’re shutting down some of the things that we had opened up like dining; we opened up the modified dining. And some of the meeting spaces, we’re temporarily closing those for 14 days. That started on Nov. 27, just because we know as increased travel and a possible spike are on the horizon, we want to do our part to make sure that there isn’t a spread through those indoor areas. It’s a targeted approach. We’re not shutting down the entire community like we did early on, but reducing the indoor meeting spaces, indoor dining for a period just allows us to monitor, allows us to do another round of testing for our associates, and make decisions based on that information.”
 
GWBJ: With Christmas coming up, do you have an action plan?
 
Bennett: “What we have done for Thanksgiving and what we’ll do for Christmas and other holidays is we’ll provide a lot of education on the front end; we will provide education on the CDC guidance. And as an independent living community, we want residents to make decisions independently, but obviously those decisions could have [impacts] on others, so our community, as residents and our team members, have been really good about making those tough decisions that benefit themselves and others. And depending on what happens in the next threeto- four weeks, as we get closer to Christmas, we could look at more restrictions. But right now, it’s really targeting those indoor areas. We want to do what we can in a safe environment.
 
“And when I think about the next 30 days, I think about the FDA’s pending approval of the vaccine and Plantation Village will be part of that phase one rollout, because we have residents over the age of 65 living in a congregate setting [and] we have health care workers.”
 
GWBJ: What has been learned since March?
 
Bennett: “We’ve learned that there’s things that we can do differently; services that we can provide differently. When I think back to March, we didn’t know what this virus was going to look like. We’ve learned a lot over the last nine months about how it spreads, what are the high-risk scenarios, and we’ve been able to adjust accordingly. So, I think that’s why you won’t see at Plantation Village this complete shutdown where everybody stays in their home and there’s no interaction. We just learn how to do things differently. You can still have face-to-face interactions, but they need to be spread out; they need to be outdoors. Everyone continues to wear a mask, both associates and residents. That’s helpful.”
 
GWBJ: What other investments has Plantation Village had to make since this started? And have rates increased?
 
Bennett: “Thankfully, no. The rates didn’t go up this year … As far as the spend, I estimate the investment just on equipment to date is probably in the ballpark range between $75,000 and $100,000.
 
“[Some] of the [capital] investments, as it relates to COVID-19, we’ve invested in what are called needlepoint bipolar ionization units, which clean the air and eliminate COVID risk in the air, or substantially reduces the risk. And we’ve installed touchless water fountains. We’ve changed out our handicap accessible doors – the push buttons – to motion detectors where you just wave your hand and that opens the door. And then through about 12 different entry points we have touchless, self-monitoring thermometers so residents and associates can go out, they can stand about a foot away from the device that’s mounted on the wall, and that quickly gives them a reading. And if it’s outside of normal limits – it’s 99.9 and above – the device actually alarms and flashes red. Thankfully, we haven’t had that happen yet.”
 
GWBJ: How are you able to keep your residents active and engaged?

Bennett: “Each phase has been different. But where we are right now, we do a lot of what we call ‘physically distanced.’ So, we got rid of this socially distanced nomenclature, and switched to physically distanced. We do a lot of things that we were doing before; we just do it outside or 6 feet apart. Walking groups have been a big hit. We spent a lot of money on outdoor meeting spaces – temporary tents, some permanent structures, pockets of chairs and umbrellas outside – so that residents and associates have a space that’s conducive to having conversations, meetings and dining outside.”

Special Focus: Retirement

Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Untitleddesign2 4523114356

Cybersecurity and Productivity: Striking the Perfect Balance for Business Success

Barrett Earney - EarneyIT
Untitleddesign5

The Role of Vulnerability in Leadership

John Monahan - Vistage
Jimheadshot

The Wilmington Construction Market: Trends, Recognition, and Challenges

Jim Hundley - Thomas Construction Group

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

NCino's Fourth-quarter Earnings Signal Rebound From Liquidity Crisis

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 27, 2024

In The Current Issue

Berries, A Battlefield And More In Pender

The N.C. Blueberry Festival, founded in 2003, is one of several events in Pender County that have drawn more attention over the years....


INFO JUNKIE: Jack Fleming

Jack Fleming, owner of Socialry Marketing & Scourz and emcee for 1 Million Cups Wilmington, shares his media and tech picks....


Expanding Tastes On Castle Street

As John Willse and Beth Guertin, owners of Wilmington Wine bottle shop and now the recently opened Creative Tastings restaurant on Castle St...

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments