Hello Everyone!

Welcome to our latest updates at Kamloops Seniors Village! Where did the month of March go? The snow is melting, bulbs are blooming, and the Easter Bunny will be arriving next weekend. Just more positive signs that good times are ahead of us.

As we mark the one year anniversary of COVID, as a testament to you, the families, as well as our tenants, residents, and staff, we have successfully been able to keep COVIID out of our community. On behalf of the KSV Leadership team, we sincerely appreciate all your efforts, understanding, and cooperation, as we all continue to work together to keep your loved ones safe by following the medical health orders.

With current Covid 19 numbers, 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, and our general NO VISITOR policy remains in place.

Please be aware there are no changes in our visitor policies despite community vaccines until the Provincial Medical Health Officer modifies them. We will keep you updated on any changes to our policies as Dr. Bonnie Henry’s Medical Health Orders evolve in conjunction with the General Public’s Vaccination Plan.

Please check out our most recent updates/changes:

• All visitors shall be screened for signs and symptoms of illness, including COVID- 19, prior to every visit upon arrival at Kamloops Seniors Village; visitors are to perform frequent hand hygiene and safe physical distancing during their visit per Provincial Medical Health Orders;
• 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 March 30, 2021.
• The March 2021 & April 2021 Visit Schedules are underway. 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.

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.

COVID Vaccinations

Our Independent & Assisting Living tenants are eligible for their second dose 4 months from the date of their first dose per the revised time frame. We will communicate further details to families and tenants closer to the dates when we are notified by the Health Authority.

Recreation Program

Our Annual “Hatch a Chicken” Eggs are doing well. We candled them this week to check for signs of fertilization. We hope to see all 7 eggs Hatch around April 1. The eggs are in an incubator on display in our main lobby! Once hatched, we will take the chicks on field trips to our Complex Care neighborhoods so our residents can enjoy them as well! Our tenants, residents, staff and families are so happy to see them once again.

Easter is just around the corner. Throughout the holiday weekend, our tenants and residents will be enjoying several activities. Easter Church services will streamed for all to enjoy, our culinary team will be serving a traditional ham Easter Sunday dinner with Hot Cross buns for dessert, and Easter Socials with tea and carrot cake will be enjoyed on Easter Monday. Plus everyone will receive a Carrot shaped goody bag with treats to enjoy!

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.

Health Career Access (HCAP) Program

Last year, the BC Ministry of Health announced their HCAP Program. The program provides a path for applicants with no health care experience to get hired and receive paid employer sponsored health care assistant training as part of their employment.  We are happy to announce that Kamloops Seniors Village was awarded 12 student slots and our first cohort started on March 15, and our second cohort will commence on April 6. Kamloops’ Thompson Rivers University is our education partner for students. These students will be trained to become Health Care Aides here at KSV.

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.

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.

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.

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