June 5th, 2020

Hello Everyone

I would like to take the time to thank you all for your continued supports as we make our way through unchartered territory.

British Columbians can expect to see a new perspective on how COVID-19 has affected the province as health officials presented their latest epidemiological modelling yesterday.

Nationally, the federal government said its data shows the number of cases is dropping. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a new modelling report released later Thursday will show many communities are seeing very low numbers of new cases, most of which can be traced, but warned the country still has a long way to go in its fight against the virus.

“I want to be very clear: We are not out of the woods,” Trudeau said Thursday morning.

The number of active outbreaks of the disease in health-care settings in B.C. continues to fall. On Wednesday, there were six ongoing outbreaks in long-term care homes or assisted living facilities.

Meanwhile, health officials are reminding British Columbians that the ban on gatherings of more than 50 people remains in place. For those planning to participate in protests against racism and police brutality, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has recommended keeping a safe physical distance from others and wearing a non-medical mask.

Communication

We have asked that families schedule in 2 calls to their loved ones per week.  Window visits (at recreation room door) or facetimes be happening once per week to ensure that we have a healthy blend of programming and visits.  Some of our staff have indicated that they have had trouble keeping up with the amount of calls and that some of the calls are interfering with their ability to answer the call bells.

Recreation

The recreation team is working hard on scheduling some great fun small group activities for your loved ones in both LTC and AL/IL.  These activities will be conducted while utilizing social distancing.  The recreation staff has been directed to reduce visits to accommodate programming so we are able to strike a balance between family visits and programming.

Meals

We have still not received permission to open the dining room on the AL side of the building.  We will announce the opening as soon as we get the word in writing from the Health Authority.

General store

The general store remains open, however; we are not permitting more than one person in the store at a time.  The store remains well stocked and available for some treats and little necessities.  There is plenty of body wash and other toiletries available to them there.

Deliveries

We remain asking that any deliveries come through the front door for sanitization.  This is for both AL and LTC.  For LTC, we are asking that only small items in single wrapping and single serving sizes are brought to LTC that may also be sanitized by wiping down.  We are again reminding folks to please not leave things on the carts after 4:30 p.m.

I do understand that you are all really feeling this separation from your loved ones. The team here at SSV appreciates your patience and understanding while we hopefully safely transition to this new phase.

Stay Safe everyone,

Sincerely,

Christy Baker

General Manager