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Hello Everyone!

Welcome to our latest updates at Kamloops Seniors Village! We are enjoying some crazy springtime storms so far this month. But we need the moisture, so we are not complaining. It’s always enjoyable to see the storm clouds from the Aberdeen Hills!  

With current Covid 19 numbers & risk of new variants, restrictions will remain in effect for our tenants, residents and families.  We will be continuing to follow the direction of our provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. Current BC Provincial Medical Health Orders can be found here and provincial travel restrictions can be found here. Current Medical Health Orders have Travel restrictions for non-essential travel in B.C. in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 through JUNE 15, 2021.

We are eagerly waiting for updates on the upcoming transition into Phase 2 of BC’s Restart Plan, so any changes or updates as of June 15th will be communicated next week!


Current Events: Recreation & Dining Programs

Our butterflies are doing well. We released them into the KSV Gardens this week with the assistance of our tenants and residents. Some butterflies were eager to explore the gardens, where some luckily stuck around & visited for a while.

Last week, tenants and residents enjoyed a parade from the Vintage Car Club. They were delighted to see all the fancy vintage cars bringing back many memories.

Happy Seniors Week Everyone! Our residents and tenants will be enjoying ice cream socials & live entertainment. Our Seasonal Outdoor Live Entertainment continued with Complex Care Residents enjoying the music stylings of The Late Bloomers outside in the Complex Care Indoor Courtyard. Next week, Gordie West performs for our Independent-Assisted Living tenants on the Dining Room Patio.

We are looking forward to some exciting events through the next few weeks. We will be celebrating Father’s Day with a BBQ, as well as our summer staff appreciation BBQ Event.

On Monday, June 21, we will be celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day with delicious Bannock. Kamloops Seniors Village resides within the traditional and unceded territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. As many of you have heard on the news, Kamloops has been in the spotlight with recent discoveries at the former Residential School Site. On behalf of our KSV Community, our thoughts and prayers go out to the many families and school survivors as we support them through this emotional time.


Save the Date! We are planning to kick off summer in style with a neighbourhood Charity Drive-Thru BBQ on TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 2021 from 4:30-6PM with 100% proceeds going to charity! The BBQ will be held in our Main Parking Lot! Grab your friends and family & ‘drive by’ for a hot dog, chips, and soft drink by donation.


We are continuing to provide scheduled virtual visits for residents & tenants. Please reach out to our recreation team by e-mail at ksv-rec@retirementconcepts.com or call 250.571.1806 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.


INDEPENDENT-ASSISTED LIVING COVID VACCINATION UPDATE

 We are happy to report that our tenants received their second dose this past TUESDAY June 8, 2021 without incident and are doing well. We have taken copies of their immunization cards and will be returning the originals to the tenants/families. Please reach out to our Clinical Lead Amy Suerink for any questions.


ANNOUNCEMENTS

 We are happy to report that Laurie Simpson, one of our fabulous Complex Care LPNs, has joined our KSV Leadership Team as our new Assistant Director of Care. She will support Deena, our Director of Care, with Complex Care day to day operations.

On a sad note, we have a couple of departures to announce. First, our long standing Recreation Manager, Erica Buckingham will be leaving us to pursue other opportunities. We would like to thank her for her endless hard work and commitment to the team and to our residents/tenants. She has been a significant asset to our team. We are actively recruiting to fulfill her position. Her last day with us will be June 18th. We wish her well on her next adventure.

And secondly, we are sad to reveal that our incredible General Manager, Lisa Robitaille, will be leaving KSV as of June 30th. She will be joining her husband to run their new family business, LMB Designs, that has taken off much faster than expected. Kamloops Seniors Village has been her second home since 2009. She started as one of our Overnight LPNs in Complex Care and then was promoted to our Assisted Living Manager, before having the honour of becoming our General Manager two years ago. Under her leadership, we have remained COVID Free during the pandemic and have been voted as the Best Kamloops Retirement Residence 3 Years in a Row and counting. This is a testament to her leadership and to having the best staff to work with. It takes a village and the staff here are an integral part of that village! We wish her well on her next endeavours! We are actively recruiting for the General Manager position and have a support plan in place.


CURRENT VISITATION GUIDELINES

Here is a summary of the “In Building” social visitation guidelines as of April 1, 2021:

We ask families and residents to keep in mind the following requirements:

DO’s

DON’T’s


SOCIAL OUTINGS:


WINDOW VISITS

With the warming weather, Window Visits are a great alternative for larger family visits. 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.
  4. Contact your loved one’s nurse to facilitate the window visit.

“In Building” Social Visitation Scheduling Reminders:

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,


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 on Monday, June 28, 2021 at 10 AM via ZOOM.


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 &/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, 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) when required
  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.

 We ask that families share this information with all parties you believe will be in contact with your loved one. We have all worked so hard together over the last year to keep COVID out of our building. Please remain diligent in your current practice to help keep our home a safe place.

Thank you all for your support and patience as we roll out this new visitation process.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.


SUPPORT & RESOURCES

As a caregiver, you are not alone and you what you do is incredible. As the Pandemic continues on, remember to take care of yourselves and get that much needed self-care and support.

Family CareGivers of BC and Provincial Agencies such as the Alzheimer’s Society have great resources and workshops to handle your loved ones diagnosis & offer support. Family CareGivers of BC also has a Caregiver Support Line for emotional support at 1-877-520-3267, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 7:00 pm.