August 5, 2022

Greetings from KSV! Where did the month of July go? We cannot believe that its already August and a month until Labour Day! We hope everyone is staying safe and cool!

Please read the entire communication so you are familiar with the current medical health orders & reminders,  and please share with your families!

Please visit the BC CDC Website for current restrictions for Care Homes in the province.

HOT NITE IN THE CITY POKER RUN

We were excited to host the Hot Nite in the City Poker Run once again, earlier this afternoon, Friday, August 5, 2022. The weather was fantastic. KSV is a stop along the Annual Event’s Poker Run’s route for tenants and residents to enjoy seeing classic cars stroll through our parking lot!

We made a night of it with Root Beer floats, watermelon & musical entertainment with “Strange Brew”. Cars started rolling through around 3:30 PM so tenants, residents, got to come out prior to dinner to enjoy the festivities!

SPECIAL EVENTS

For Independent & Assisted Living, we had some fun July outings walking down on the Riverside Trail, and many scenic drives. In August, tenants are going to Chase for a Picnic, enjoying some nice socials on our patio, scenic tours, and enjoying some afternoon musical entertainment!

Our Complex Care residents are enjoying the summer sunshine and garden strolls, bocce games, scenic drives and summer socials outside.

Both Residents & Tenants enjoyed the City of Kamloops Seniors Picnic on Friday, July 8. KSV co-sponsors the event and 400 seniors had a fabulous time taking in the picnic & festivities including a performance by The Kamloops Rube Band down at Riverside Park!

SUMMER WEATHER SAFETY

With the warmer seasonal temperatures, we want to remind tenants, residents, staff and families of some key reminders:

• Keep all suite windows closed & curtains drawn enabling the air conditioning to work most efficiently. We also have put out reminders to stay hydrated, limit outside exposures during the hottest parts of the day, and wear a hat, sunglasses and light clothing if going outside.

• For families that might plan to take residents/ tenants out for daytime outings, we encourage limited sun exposure outdoors, especially between 10:00 AM and 4:00PM. Please encourage & ensure your loved one is donning of light- colored, loose clothing, and a hat outdoors.

• Please pay close attention to how those around you feel. Watch for symptoms of heat illness, which include: • dizziness or fainting; • nausea or vomiting; • headache; • rapid breathing and heartbeat; • extreme thirst (dry mouth or sticky saliva); and • decreased urination. If you or your loved one experiences any of these symptoms during hot weather, immediately move to a cool place and drink liquids. Water is best!

EVACUATION PROTOCOL REMINDERS

We have been pretty fortunate so far this year, but in light of the recent fire activity around Kamloops, we wanted to remind you all of our evacuation protocol in the event we have to evacuate due to a nearby interface fire. This evacuation is known as a “Code Green.” Luckily we ran through our Code Green drill recently back in May 2022 with our Independent-Assisted Living tenants and our staff in Complex Care, so the information is fresh in our minds.

We are required to evacuate the building when we are notified of an “Evacuation Alert”, due to the number of people that live at KSV. This will hopefully give us more time to evacuate residents to safety. We do not stay and wait for the “`Evacuation Order” which would greatly reduce the amount of time we have to leave the building.

Our tenants have a checklist on the back of their door of the items to bring with them – an overnight bag with a few days worth of clothing, personal care items, important documents/ID, valuables, medications, incontinence products, and if applicable, their pet in a pet carrier. Our Complex Care staff will pack the needed items for all residents in Full Care as we prepare to evacuate.

We will all muster by floor/neighbourhood and use our local arranged resources for transportation to our designated evacuation centre (wherever that may be based on the current fire situation).

Emergency food, water, and care supplies will accompany each bus. For families that can accommodate their loved one are encouraged to pick up and go to your residence in the interim, we just need to track everyone’s destination. We of course would provide communication to all families of the evacuation and provide necessary daily updates.

We remind our tenant families to have those evacuation discussions with your loved one in the event we are put on alert this season. Do you plan on taking your loved one to your house, or will they evacuate with us/KSV? Having these conversations ahead of time will help you all have a tentative plan in place.

We wish for everyone’s safety during this fire season. We are thinking of those that are affected by current fires in the province. Hopefully the cooler weather will help support the crew on the ground.

VISITATION HOURS

Visitors will be permitted between 8:30am-9pm excluding the following times:

Please respectful of not visiting during meal times. You may be turned away if you arrive during these times without prior approvals:

• LUNCH HOURS
  • 11:45am – 12:45pm (Complex Care lunch)
  • 11:45am – 12:45pm (1^st Seating) or 12:45pm – 1:45pm (2^nd Seating) (AL/IL lunch)
• SHIFT CHANGE
  • 2:45pm-3:15pm
• DINNER HOURS
  • 4:45pm-5:45pm (Complex Care dinner)
  • 4:45pm – 5:45pm (1^st Seating) or 5:45pm-6:45pm (2^nd Seating) (AL/IL dinner)

DELIVERIES AND DROP-OFFS:

All deliveries will continue to be received at the front desk and we will call the tenants &/or resident care staff to come and pick up their items right away.  Please ensure you label all items with a name and room number to ensure all packages are received as quickly as possible.

For floral deliveries & orders, please ensure there are NO LILIES in the arrangement for allergy precautions.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & CODE OF THE MONTH

In addition to the annual Code Green drill, we perform 3 monthly Code Red fire drills to enable our staff to practice the protocols and procedures in the event of a fire. It also enables the tenants and residents to hear the sound of the fire bells. Our Assisted-Independent Living tenants participate by coming outside of their suite door and practice gathering at their muster points. We conduct 1 Live Drill during the daytime and 2 Table Top Drills for evening and overnight staff.

As part of our monthly education, we also perform table top drills of other emergency codes. August’s code is CODE AMBER – Bio-Toxins in Mail. All teams will review the processes of when and in the event of receipt of mail or a parcel with a suspicious, unidentified powder or liquid inside or spilling onto surfaces.

VISITATION REMINDERS

The same visitation parameters remain in place as follows:

Visitors will still need to meet the following guidelines:

• Visitors (aged 12 years & up) will need to be fully vaccinated with 2 doses and show proof of vaccination with a BC Vaccine Card or equivalent
• All Visitors continue to be screened for signs and symptoms
• Visitors (aged 12 years & up) must complete a rapid test prior to entry into the home
• All visitors (ages 5 years and up) are required to wear their masks throughout the building, moving to and from the resident/tenant room
• No visitations are permitted to happen in INDOOR common spaces at this time
• Visitor masks are allowed to be removed when in the resident or tenants’ room
  • Understanding the risks involved to your loved one if you chose to remove your mask is very important.  Here are some things to think about:
    • You can pass on the COVID virus 2 days before symptoms start
    • What is the vaccine status of your loved – Fully vaccinated? With Boosters?
    • Do they have any medical conditions that put them at higher risk if they contract COVID -19?
  • Perform hand hygiene prior to and after your visit

Please be patient if there is a line up as some visitors may need to wait outside if our lobby is at capacity.

RAPID TESTING PARAMETERS

Every visitor 12 years and older entering Kamloops Seniors Village will have a rapid test conducted per mandates by the Provincial Health Officer. Rapid tests only need to be conducted every other day or within 48 hours of your visit.

Point of Care Rapid Testing continues to be available here onsite at KSV prior to your visit. Visitors MUST wait the 15 minutes until results are ready prior to going to your family member’s suite; therefore, please come at minimum 20 minutes early to be screened, tested, and wait for your results.

Visitors are also welcome to conduct “TAKE HOME RAPID TESTS” at home prior to their visit to speed up the screening process and wait times. Visitors will report their negative test results at time of screening. We have “take home test kits” available to families from our screener desk. We just ask that you share the box with your family first, before requesting more.

We are entrusting for families and friends to be honest with the hope to keep everyone safe. Please continue to self-monitor yourselves and postpone a visit if you are experiencing any active cold like symptoms.

VISITATION AREAS

As the weather is warmer outside, families are welcome to utilize some of our outdoor spaces for your visit since common indoor areas are unavailable for visits.

Complex Care residents and families are welcome to utilize the outside secured courtyard which is accessible from the 1^st floor lobby by the Beech/Alder Lane neighbourhood doors. There is enough space for families to distance themselves from other groups. There is also the 2^nd Floor Balcony patio facing the valley, which can be accessed from the 2^nd Floor Complex Care Foyer area. Families are also permitted to visit on the AL Dining Room Patio as well, just be respectful of social distancing.

Assisted & Independent Living visitors are welcome to utilize the outdoor patio off of the Dining Room, or the Lower Level south garden gazebo. We just ask that you respect others and safely distance yourself from other groups, and please walk directly through the Bistro to the patio without stopping inside.

In addition, our outside front garden gazebo area can be used for visits by all families, as well as the walking path around our building.

For Complex Care, please ensure you sign the resident out of their neighbourhood on the white board by the door, and preferably inform a staff member so we know where the resident is in the event of an emergency. Assisted-Independent Living tenants need to sign out in the book at the reception desk by the outgoing mail box when they are leaving the property.

SAFETY REMINDERS

As the weather gets nicer, a lot more tenants and residents will be embarking on walks on our grounds and parking lots. Please remember to drive slow when entering and exiting our parking lots, as well as watching for pedestrians when backing up. We appreciate your awareness of others.

COMPLEX CARE FAMILY COUNCIL

Kamloops Seniors Village’s Family Council is made available to Family Members of Complex Care residents. We invite new resident’s families to join the council, participate in the meeting, and provide a voice for your loved one! Meetings are held on the 4th Monday of every month via ZOOM during COVID, excluding December July and August. The Zoom link and minutes are sent out the week prior. The meetings are self-directed by the families with KSV Leadership present for support. Our next meeting is in on Monday, September 26, 2022, at 10AM since meetings are on hold during the summer.

Acknowledgements

We have transitioned to a monthly communication. Any changes or new updates will be communicated accordingly.

Sincerely,

The KSV Team