July 1-2021 Family Message Update

Today, we choose to share the message our President, James Liebenberg sent to each of us.

Canada Day 2021

Usually, on Canada Day, I hold the Canadian flag up high with pride and praise for our great country.  Canada is still the greatest county in my mind, and I will again celebrate our amazing country and the opportunities it offers.

However, this year my celebrations and gratitude for living in such a fantastic country will have a different tone in light of the disturbing discovery of unmarked graves at residential school sites.  This year I will be reflecting on our historical journey as a country.  A journey that took us to many mountain tops, but also through the valley of death and unmarked graves.

I will reflect on our Canadian values of equality, inclusiveness and justice.  What happens when we profess a set of values but don’t live it or choose to live it selectively? What are the reasons that not every Canadian experience Canada as equitable, inclusive and just? What must I do differently?

With deep humility and gratitude, I will strive to more fully acknowledge and own our collective history as a country. As a Canadian family, we have been confronted with a family history that includes a dark past.  I will strive for balance in my reflections, owning our collective history but at the same time guard against not becoming a captive of the past, perpetuating and falling victim to the same injustices of the past.  As a society, we have to face the brutal facts of our collective family history so that we can move forward towards healing and reconciliation.

I invite you to journey with the rest of the West Coast team as we strive to build an organization and country on the foundational values of equality, inclusiveness and justice. We cannot change the past, but we have the ability and responsibility to affect change for a better future.  How do we learn and grow, as individuals and collectively as a country, by facing, addressing and working through these historical events so that we can be the “The True North strong and free” for all?

Kindest regards,

James

James Liebenberg, MBA, CHE, ACC | President

Canada Day: Our culinary team with Connie as the lead has chosen to have a low key celebration with treats on the patio this afternoon. We look forward to spending some time chatting and being grateful for what we have learned the past year and a half and look forward to the future

OVERNIGHT STAYS/MEAL VISITS: As per the provincial guidelines (attached) we are not able to accommodate overnight guests yet or meals with families in our dining room. We strive and look forward to the next Phase and will work with providing you with the most updated information as we receive it

Activities: As per the guidelines, we are now allowed to have up to 50 people in both inside and outside events. We are also allowed to have on-site entertainment OUTSIDE – following all the same protocol as regular visitors.

Anchors/Rooftop:

You will have heard and seen one of our vendors around the building this week. They are placing 36 anchors on our buildings in order to facilitate window cleaning as well as window replacement. Joe is working with the team to ensure this is complete by July. This means sometime in July we will let you know when your area will be done.

BOOKING VISITS:

A gentle reminder please and thank you. ALL visits must be scheduled through our dedicated email. Please do not email on the same day for a visit. As per the guidelines set forth by the province, 24 hours notice is requested based on operational staffing. The email is being monitored daily in the morning and in the evening. Please do not call the front desk to arrange a visit. Please also know that as per the PHO orders, we are still not able to accommodate any over-night stays with families or meals in the dining room with family or loved ones. The orders are clear that you may have 2 adults and one child at any one visit with a minimum of 60 minutes allowed – but there is no time limit on how long that visit is. We are contact tracing everyone that comes into the building so being pre-screened, temperature taken and sign in and out is mandatory.

wel-familyvisits@retirementconcepts.com

BC RE-START PLAN

Step 3: Earliest start date July 1st, 2021 – CURRENT

70% of adult population with Dose 1
Cases low, COVID-19 hospitalizations declining 

• Provincial state of emergency and public health emergency lifted
• Returning to usual for indoor and outdoor personal gatherings
• Increased capacity for indoor and outdoor organized gatherings, with safety plans
• Nightclubs and casinos reopen with capacity limits and safety plans
• New public health and workplace guidance around personal protective equipment, physical distancing and business protocols

Step 4: Earliest start date September 7th, 2021

More than 70% of adult population with Dose 1
Cases low and stable (contained clusters), COVID-19 hospitalizations low

• Returning to normal social contact
• Increased capacity at larger organized gatherings
• Businesses operating with new safety plans

VISITATION GUIDELINES – BOOKING APPOINTMENTS:

• Visits must be scheduled in advance. No drop in visitation will be accommodated at this time.
• When you arrive for your visit, you will be screened at the front door, perform hand hygiene and be given a medical grade mask that you must wear for the duration of your visit. You can then make your way to your loved one’s room.
• Visitors must go directly to the resident’s room. Visitors can escort residents outside for walks or outings, but you cannot visit in common lounges or shared spaces.***This includes the public washrooms – these are not available for your visitors at this time – use of common spaces are off limits to family members at this time***

Visitors can only visit with one resident (or couple) at a time.

• Visits are limited to two adults and one child at a time, but there are no limitations on the number of visitors each resident can have on any given day.
• Every effort will be made to accommodate any visitation request, but we may have to limit visitation based on building capacity and operational needs.
• Masks are mandatory for visitors at all times while in the facility and on facility grounds outdoors. We encourage you to perform hand hygiene often during the course of your visit and we ask that you use the restroom facilities in your loved one’s suite whenever possible.
• Residents will be able to enjoy outings with family members and overnight stays, without being required to isolate for 14 days. Visitors and residents will be encouraged to abide by all public health guidelines when on an outing and resident will be provided a mask upon leaving.
• Noncompliance with safety protocols (hand hygiene and mask wearing) could result in a suspension of visitation.

Please book your visits through the dedicated email below.

Please also book ahead of time. Please do not just show up without an appointment.

wel-familyvisits@retirementconcepts.com

MONTHLY Hearing Aide Pickups:

Please drop your hearing aids off at the front desk with Sheryl by Thursday morning a.m. so NEXGEN can pick them up and return same day. Any questions – please see Sabrina

Reminders for your loved-one to Stay Safe: Again, the following four points are so critical to discuss with your loved ones. Please help us by reminding each resident daily of the following four items:

1. Practice social distancing (6 feet apart)
2. Perform proper Hand Hygiene (Wash hands frequently for 20 seconds with the alcohol-based sanitizer or soap and hot water) 20 second or greater is so important.
3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
4. If exhibiting any symptoms (fever, cough and difficulty breathing) please alert staff immediately.

Protocols 

Aside from the single site, we are following the direction of our public health officials and have full infection prevention and control precautions in place. Staff continue to monitor residents closely and are ensuring the following protocols are being adhered to:

• Ensuring no staff member is working in multiple facilities
• Staff are screened for their temperature upon entrance to the building, and midway through their shift
• Social distancing is occurring among residents in each facility, including during mealtimes
• Ensuring ongoing, environmental cleaning and increased frequency of high touch surface cleaning in order to break the chain of infection
• Staff and residents are committed to regular/proper hand hygiene to break the chain of infection, and wash their hands with soap and water and apply hand sanitizer frequently.

Quadra Village Medical Centre – Dr. Behroozi has acquired some new residents and will continue to reach out to everyone individually who have expressed an interest in getting a new doctor. Right now he makes his rounds on Thursdays. Any inquiries please see Sharon in her office or by email sunsworth@retirementconcepts.com or by cell 250-514-5114. ***for those of you waiting to hear back from Dr. Behroozi’s office – please note last week his daughter Arianna got married but he will be back next week!

Assisted Living ROOFTOP:  Our constructions teams and our maintenance manager Joe will be in and out of the building in the coming months. Please know they are following all protocol. We are hopeful that our amazing rooftop will be completed soon but for now, the 5^th floor is not accessible. If you have any questions in regards to this please let us know.

MOVE OUT Protocols:  Please reach out to Sharon should you have any questions about removal of furniture/movers and how we go about doing this to ensure the residents remain safe. We have been arranging one move out per day when needed and trying to assist families with what will work within their schedule. Please know that in both buildings, we do not want to interrupt their meal times, so move out times are 9-11 am, 1:30-4 pm. Please arrange with me so that we can alert the residents and put signs up. sunsworth@retirementconcepts.com

Move Outs/Elevator in Main Building/AL Building: The 1^st elevator is utilized for move outs, and is locked for move outs. There is a note placed on the elevator as well. For your convenience we have asked all move outs to happen during the hours of 9-11 am and 1:30-4 so as not to disturb during meal time. Please be respective of the movers as they are following all protocol to get in and out in a timely manner. For the Assisted Living Building, we want to ensure that we are not disrupting meal times, so the same times apply.

MASK WEARING

As per provincial guidelines, mask wearing in the common areas is not required by current residents. All staff and visitors will continue to wear a mask. If you can’t keep a socially distanced 6’ (as in an elevator) it would be advised to wear a mask. Please see below the guidelines:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions#masks

Thank You, Team Wellesley