Hello Everyone!

Welcome to our latest updates at Kamloops Seniors Village! Winter temperatures has finally arrived with a vengeance along with the rest of the Canadian Prairies. At least the sun is shining so we can be happy and stay warm indoors! We wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day, as well as Happy Family Day to our extended KSV Family!

With the continuing increase in Covid 19 numbers, both locally and in other health authorities, restrictions will remain in effect for our tenants and residents and families.  We will be continuing to follow the direction of our provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and our general NO VISITOR policy remains in place.

Visitor Policy Reminder

Per the BC Centre for Disease Control, and Provincial Health Order directive, there are currently two categories of visitors for Retirement Communities, Essential Visitors & Designated Visitors for Social Visits. Essential Visitors provide visits for compassionate care and/or are paramount to the patient/client’s physical care and mental well-being. The Health Authority or Facility staff will determine if a visit is essential. Whereas, Designated Visitors are for social occasion visits, and under these guidelines, each resident is permitted to have ONE designated visitor with bookings made in advance.

Please check out our most recent updates/changes:

• All visitors, staff, tenants and residents will be required to wear a medical grade mask while in Kamloops Seniors Village. The mask MUST be worn at all times and for the duration of your visit to the building, as well as the entirety of the 30 minute visits.
• The Provincial Health Officer directive further states persons living in other Health Authorities and provinces are required to remain in their home area, and not to travel in or out of their Health Authority. This has resulted in visits from out-of-town areas such as Vancouver Island, Northern BC, the Lower Mainland and Alberta being cancelled until at least February 16, 2021 as per BC’s current State of Emergency restrictions.
• The February 2021 Visit Schedule is underway and the March 2021 Visit schedule will open on February 16. Visits can still be scheduled every 7-10 days depending on availability. Email is the preferred method for these reservations. Please submit designated visitor requests to Carollyn Anderson at canderson@retirementconcepts.com. This person will be changed ONLY in cases of extreme emergency, or in the event that the family member lives in one of the restricted areas.
• The monthly schedule opens on the 15^th of each month for the following month. Email Carollyn with requested date(s) for visitation which are filled on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and allow 72 hours for reply. A waitlist will be set up for cancellations.
• Should you need to cancel your visit, please let us know, as we have a waitlist for most dates
• We ask that our resident/tenant families give your very best effort in reducing community outings 14 days prior to your scheduled visit and be mindful & aware of your immediate bubble to keep your loved ones safe
• AND PLEASE NOTE: Should the community have any type of outbreak per the Health Authority, visits will cease immediately

You, as family members play a key role in the continuing success of this Visitation Plan.  As we all work together to closely follow Health Authority protocols, should any family member not adhere to the safety parameters that we have in place, they will be asked to leave.

Window Visits are continuing with the same following guidelines:

1. Please plan visits with a limit of up to 6 people (window Visits only)
2. No open windows, please use telephones
3. For all residents in Complex Care, window visits can still be safely scheduled and supported through the care staff.

COVID Vaccinations Update

We are happy to share that our Assisted Living tenants (those that have a regular prescribed service through KSV) received their COVID-19 vaccine first dose on Wednesday, February 10 by Interior Health. We are still waiting on the timeline for our Independent Living tenants’ vaccine clinic as Interior Health deems them as part of the general public. We will share further information as we receive it from the Health Authority.

Recreation Program

February is a busy month for the Recreation team here at KSV!
This week we are celebrating Valentine’s Day. The celebrations began with Linda Fenrich doing some sing alongs of love songs on the Residential Care neighbourhoods, as well as some Valentine’s Day crafts, trivia, socials and a Strawberry Short Cake treat trolley. On Assisted Living we will be doing some Valentine’s Day programs and then a Strawberry Short Cake treat trolley in the afternoon of the 14th, delivering cake to all of our tenants!

Next week we will be recognizing “Mardi Gras”. We will have music with Linda Fenrich on Assisted Living and a delicious Mango cake! On Residential Care we will be doing some Mardi Gras crafts, socials and then a mango cake treat trolley.

The last week of the month we will be focusing on Lunar New Year with some “Travel to China” programs, treat trolleys and more! On February 24^th, we are recognizing Pink Shirt Day, encouraging all staff, residents and tenants to wear something pink for anti-bullying day.

We are continuing to provide scheduled virtual visits for residents & tenants. Please reach out to Erica Buckingham, Recreation Manager by e-mail at ebuckingham@retirementconcepts.com or call 250.571.2958 to set up a time via Skype or FaceTime. We will be happy to confirm a date and time to connect you with your loved-one.

Deliveries and Drop-offs:

All deliveries will continue to be received at the front desk and will be sanitized, bagged and we will call the tenants to come and pick up their items right away.  Please ensure you label all items with name and room number to ensure all packages are received as quickly as possible.

With Easter coming up, for floral deliveries, please ensure there are no LILIES in the arrangement for allergy precautions.

Reminders for your loved one to Stay Safe:

Please help us by reminding each resident daily of the following four items:

1. Practice social/physical 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 seconds 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.

 Finance Updates

 For Tenants and Residents that have lived at KSV through the 2020 Tax Year, their 2020 KSV Tax Receipts will be ready at the end of February 2021. Our Finance Coordinator is busily preparing them and will send them out to the tenants/Financial Representatives at the beginning of March 2021. For any finance questions or concerns, please connect with our Finance Admin Kristine O’Connor at 250-571-1802 or koconnor@retirementconcepts.com.

BC Recovery Benefit

A reminder that the Benefit applications are still open. It is a one-time, tax-free payment of up to $1,000 for eligible families and single parents and up to $500 for eligible individuals. You have until June 30, 2021 to apply on behalf of your loved one. Please visit https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/economic-recovery/recovery-benefit for more information or email our Finance Admin Kristine at koconnor@retirementconcepts.com if you require assistance.

We want to thank everyone for their continued cooperation and patience during these ever-changing circumstances.