Liberty Village administrator discusses COVID challenges

PRINCETON — Liberty Village is among the countless local businesses and organizations that have been greatly impacted by the COVID pandemic.

The nursing home, a nonprofit provider, is faced with myriad new policies that have been put in place over the last four months to protect both residents and employees.

Many of these new policies have been costly because they require more personal protective equipment and disposable supplies to be on hand, which in turn has impacted the business's budget. Additionally, staff members. who are tasked with ensuring all residents are protected from the virus, are stressed.

One staff member at Liberty Village recently tested positive for COVID-19 and family members of residents were notified. The nursing home, which had been allowing outside social distancing visits, put an immediate hold on those. The front door at Liberty Village is locked and no one is allowed in the building unless deemed essential.

There have been no reports of any further COVID cases at the facility and on Aug. 1, Liberty Village released a statement on its Facebook page announcing it had no cases of COVID-19 in its facility.

“We will continue to follow the guidelines and procedures from the Illinois Department of Public Health and our local health department,” the statement read. “We appreciate everyone’s support during this difficult time. We will not stop the fight until this pandemic is eradicated.”

Lynn Olds, administrator of Liberty Village, recently sat down with State Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) to discuss the challenges skilled nursing facilities are facing right now and how the pandemic is affecting the lives of residents and employees.

“It was a great conversation. He truly listened and was engaged by asking several questions,” she said.

Olds said she did have to turn down a walk-through tour of the facility because Swanson is not “essential” to the facility, which demonstrates just how strict Liberty Village’s policies are for visitors at this time.

Olds said she would like to see financial support for the required products needed to keep residents and employees safe. Liberty Village has spent more than $250,000 alone on supplies to meet new requirements.

“I hope as (lawmakers) consider new legislation, they more strongly consider the impact this has had on nursing homes. I encourage lawmakers to actually go meet with a nursing home to hear firsthand the impact it has had,” she said.

Olds said she and her staff frequently ask themselves what the future holds for skilled nursing facilities during this national health crisis. Most likely, staff screenings will remain in place for a long time to come.

“Regardless, it will be for the residents' and employees' safety, which is something we will always embrace,” she said.

Despite daily challenges, Olds said her dedicated team remains focused on the safety of residents.

“Those who choose to serve older adults do so because it is a calling,” she said. “The looming threat of the possibility of COVID-19 reaching our community has placed a significant amount of stress on the staff.”

The staff also keeps a close eye on the social, emotional and mental health of its residents. Staff members were added to the activity department to allow more time to focus one-on-one with residents. Room numbers were also placed on resident windows to provide an easier way for families to have window visits. A new technology feature, which is called Liberty TV, has allowed residents to basically bring the activity room into their own rooms. The television program provides morning exercises, announcements, plays bingo, allows residents to attend virtual church services, watch movies, etc. all in the comfort of the resident’s room.