Seniors at Sedgebrook eagerly roll up their sleeves for COVID-19 vaccination

They eagerly rolled up their sleeves. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, Sedgebrook in Lincolnshire is among the first senior living communities offering the COVID-19 vaccination to independent living residents.

At its fourth on-site vaccine clinic, Sedgebrook and its pharmacy partner administered its 800th vaccine. During three dates in January, residents and staff of Radford Green Health Care and Rehabilitation of Sedgebrook had the opportunity to receive their first and second doses.

"We are very proud to be at the front of the line delivering vaccines to independent living residents," said Keegan Sawyer, executive director at Sedgebrook. "The news throughout Lake County is that seniors are trying to be patient while awaiting news about when they might have access to a vaccine. The process of securing and administering vaccines is challenging, and we're glad that we've been able to successfully navigate it on behalf of our residents and staff."

As a Life Plan Community, Sedgebrook provides independent living, and Radford Green offers assisted living memory care, short-term rehabilitation, and skilled care. "It has been imperative to us to provide the vaccine for every level of care throughout our community, as well as for our employees," said Sawyer.

Sedgebrook's vaccine clinic came as Lake County is struggling with distribution. As of February 9th, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that 496,100 doses of the vaccine had been allocated for Long Term Care facilities, but less than half have been administered. "We understand that the many seniors still waiting are frightened and frustrated," said Sawyer. "Another important factor in our vaccine administration is that our residents didn't have to leave the safety and warmth of their home to sit in their cars or stand in line for their vaccine. They simply needed to complete some paperwork and come downstairs. We took it from there."

Almost as excited about the vaccine as the residents, are their loved ones, who look forward to the time that their visits can safely return to up close and personal. Visitors have been restricted on campus, and residents have been encouraged to be cautious and socially distant both on and off-campus. "We've carefully followed all guidelines and recommendations by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and IDPH to keep our residents safe and healthy. We're now looking forward to the time in which we can carefully return to normal. Our ability to administer the vaccines is taking us closer to that time," said Sawyer.

The next set of vaccines will be administered on March 3.

Sedgebrook is a Life Plan Community offering a diverse lifestyle, maintenance-free living, and outstanding amenities. Five-star rated Radford Green Health Care and Rehabilitation is located on the 72-acre Sedgebrook campus in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Sedgebrook is a Senior Care Development, LLC affiliated community and managed by Life Care Services LLC®. For additional information visit www.WelcomeToSedgebrook.com or call 847-901-3319.