As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold in South Africa – and around the world – our government has taken decisive steps to contain the spread of the disease, which appears to be particularly harmful to the elderly and vulnerable. At Evergreen Lifestyle, we’ve taken the threat of this pandemic extremely seriously, and the safety of our residents and staff continues to be our primary focus.

Over the past few weeks and months, we’ve consulted with our team of experts at Evergreen Health on safety measures in our villages, and we’ve engaged with the South African Police Service regarding the national lockdown regulations. As a result, we’ve taken aggressive and proactive steps to keep our villages safe and compliant.

Despite the challenging time we’re all currently facing, our residents can rest assured that we’ll continue to deliver on our Partnership for Life promise and support them with the highest degree of security and care within our villages. Here’s a look at the measures we’ve put in place to keep our residents safe and help curb the spread of the disease.

Physical Security
Our villages are on a strict lockdown, which means that:

• Residents must remain in their homes and private gardens, and may only leave in the event of a medical emergency.
• Limited essential staff who arrive daily follow stringent screening, temperature checks and hygiene protocols.
• Leaving the village is not permitted unless authorised by village management.
• Each village management team is co-ordinating the delivery of food and essential items from local grocery stores and pharmacies.
• No walking, jogging or walking of dogs outside of private gardens is allowed, as per government regulations.

Continuous Care
Our Evergreen Health team remains committed to delivering the highest level of healthcare to our residents.

• Our key management and healthcare staff are now living on-site to help reduce the risk of contamination from outside the villages.
• Medical doctors and Care Centre staff are doing home visits when a medical need has been established.
• Our physiotherapists have developed at-home exercise plans, which have been distributed to residents.

Sense of community
While we all have to adhere to physical distancing, we know that social isolation is detrimental to health and wellbeing. As a response to this, we’ve implemented the following measures:

• The village management teams are calling residents daily to find out how they’re coping and to offer services.
• A team of Evergreen Head Office volunteers are phoning single and vulnerable residents to provide encouragement and support.
• A free support hotline is available for residents who are struggling to cope with social isolation.

Financial peace of mind
As always, residents can rest assured that they have a home for life at Evergreen.

#weareinthistogether
If you’re an Evergreen resident, we’d like to assure you that we remain committed to providing you with the exceptional care and hospitality you’ve come to expect from us. If you’d like more information on our COVID-19 security measures, please get in touch with your village manager today.