Friday, November 13th
Hello Family and Friends of Rosemary Heights:
Today we were informed that a case of Covid-19 has been confirmed involving a staff member’s family member. The exposure resulted from a workplace in Surrey. This staff member is currently home in self-isolation, shows no symptoms, and has been tested.
The potential exposure to Covid-19 is in our Independent/Assisted Living building. Please note, the Long Term Care building is not affected, and we are still proceeding with the Step Down process following the recent Outbreak there. No residents or staff in the Assisted Living building have displayed any symptoms related to Covid-19 at this time. We continue to monitor all residents daily for any symptoms.
Out of extreme caution, we have advised all Independent/Assisted Living residents to remain self-isolated in their rooms until we receive the test results for the staff member. All recreation programs have been paused, and meals will be served via room service until further notice. We have communicated this to every resident.
In the event of a positive Covid-19 test result for a staff member or resident, we will provide all families of residents with a daily email update that will also be posted under Retirement Concepts Covid-19 Updates on our website. We also phone the families of residents if their loved one has tested positive. Should the condition of any specific resident change, their family and loved ones will be notified immediately.
BC’s Medical Health Officer and CDC have been notified. We are following protocols established by the Health Authority, the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and BC Center for Disease Control. We will continue to act upon their latest advice, and will adapt our operations as necessary and recommended.
In the Long Term Care building, we are happy that Rosemary Heights continues to have no new staff or residents with Covid-19 symptoms. We would like to thank our families for their kind words and patience getting to this point. While we are cleared of active cases in the building, we are still under strict Outbreak Precautions to ensure no new cases arise.
We have commenced and will continue the Step Down Phase in Long Term Care, as long as no further residents or staff show symptoms related to Covid-19.
The Step Down Phase doesn’t mean our Outbreak is over, it means that Fraser Health Authority and the community will be moving forward with implementing day to day operations very slowly, and can only remove the droplet precautions for now. That means that staff no longer needs to don PPE gowns, but must still wear masks, safety eye goggles, and gloves when providing care. Residents will continue to isolate in their suites, as much as they can, for another 14 days per Fraser Health direction, as long as there are no more symptomatic residents, and until the Outbreak is officially declared over by Fraser Health Authority.
If your loved one becomes symptomatic or needs to be swabbed, we will call the family and inform them immediately.
All our dining rooms will remain closed, family visitations are cancelled, and all group activities are paused. Unfortunately, we will not be able to permit family visits during this time.
We are thrilled to report that we will commence zoom, skype, & FaceTime calls starting next week. Calls will resume Monday, and some changes will occur. Jaylene, our recreation Manager, will contact only the people whose schedule needs to be changed. If you don’t hear from Jaylene today or tomorrow, and if you had a pre-existing scheduled call, these calls will resume as previously scheduled. Please allow the team to get this restarted, and we will let you know when you can reach out to the team for booking timed slots.
Flu shots cannot commence until after the Outbreak has been declared over. We do have the vaccines already at the community, and will administer the flu shots to all residents once we get the approval to do so. Please be assured that intense safety precautions will be implemented to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Communication
We will continue to communicate with all families via email on a daily basis, until further notice.
In the event of a positive Covid-19 test result for a staff member or resident, we will provide all families of residents with a daily email update that will also be posted under Retirement Concepts Covid-19 Updates on our website. We also phone the families of residents if their loved one has tested positive. Should the condition of any specific resident change, their family and loved ones will be notified immediately.
For your knowledge, here is an example of what would happen if a resident becomes symptomatic over the next two weeks:
1) Resident will be isolated to their suite and placed on droplet precautions.
2) Resident will be swabbed for Covid-19 as well as the Flu, and family will be informed.
3) Resident will have cohorted care.
4) If the results are negative, the resident will be lifted off droplet precautions, as long as their symptoms resolve.
5) If the results are positive, we will begin our 28-day Outbreak Protocol and follow the directives of Public Health in order to minimize and contain the spread.
Protocols
BC’s Medical Health Officer and CDC have been notified. We are following protocols established by the Health Authority, the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, and BC Center for Disease Control.
We will continue to act upon their latest advice, and will adapt our operations as necessary and recommended.
Deliveries
Monday – Friday 10am-2pm, and Saturday 1-3pm only, closed to all Sunday deliveries
All deliveries for all resident floors will be received at the lobby entrance vestibule. This includes medication deliveries from pharmacies, other gifts, and mail. All items will be sanitized and delivered directly to the residents’ suite. Deliveries for all areas including Long term care 1st & 2nd floors along with Independent/Assisted Living can now be delivered.
When dropping items off, we would ask that families please follow the following guidelines to ensure loved ones will receive their deliveries in a timely manner:
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank families and loved ones in advance for their anticipated patience and cooperation. Emails or calls may not be returned as quickly as normal, as we work with health authorities to ensure constant care for the residents.
A big thank you to everyone for your hard work, grace, and persistence!
Wishing each of you continued safety and excellent health.
Stay safe, stay calm, and stay kind.
– Your team at Rosemary Heights Seniors Village (RHSV)