facebook

Dear Friends and Family of Peace Portal Seniors Village Residents;

As of today, our active number of Covid 19 cases in residents remains at 1.  At this time there are no new staff or residents with symptoms.

The recent round of testing for 1st and 2nd floor west side residents and staff has resulted in all residents and staff testing negative.   We will not be doing another round of testing this weekend as per the Medical Health Officer recommendations. Our point prevalence testing has now concluded as we don’t have any more positive cases from the last round.

All residents remain isolated in their rooms where meals are delivered, and they are monitored closely. We had our mid outbreak audit today with the Fraser Health COVID-19 Response Lead for our site and we’re excited to announce that we had no outstanding action items for our audit which means we will be going into our step down phase tomorrow, October 31st, 2020. The step down phase does not mean that our outbreak is over but we are able to remove the droplet precautions from all our negative residents. Our one current positive case will remain on droplet precautions until they are cleared and receive dedicated care until they are symptom free for 24 hours. Residents will continue to isolate in their suites for another 2 weeks as long as there are no more symptomatic residents until the outbreak is declared over. At that point, our residents will be going through a gradual return to common areas where they will be interacting in cohorts. Within a 4-8 week period post outbreak, we will be going back to pre-outbreak pandemic practices. In an effort to prevent another outbreak at Peace Portal, we will be increasing our infection control practices and revisiting how our staff interact with residents in cohorts. Families will be informed once the outbreak is declared over, at which point we can resume our family window and in-person visits with precautions.

Our dining room remains closed, family visitations are cancelled – including window visits – and all group activities are paused.  During the step down phase, we will be looking to permit window visits as staffing permits. Families will be informed if Fraser Health approves this.

For those inquiring, flu shots cannot commence until after the Outbreak has been cleared. Please be assured that intense safety precautions will be implemented to keep everyone safe and healthy.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to staff, residents and families for their continuing calm, support and daily encouragement.  It is truly appreciated.  Staff morale is high, and their positive attitude is passed on to our residents.

Fraser Health Authority Advice:

Fraser Health is onsite daily to advise Peace Portal Seniors Village on all protocols and operations, which include:

1. Education of each shift of staff on hand hygiene and safety protocols, including those related to personal protective gear – putting it on, taking it off and performing job functions while wearing it – and we also audit staff to ensure compliance, as does Fraser Health.

2.  Staff is assigned into cohorts designated to a specific floor or area.  Staff does not work beyond their area, and this reduces the opportunities for Covid-19 spread.

Activities:

Caring for the Peace Portal Seniors Village Community is our top priority, and our team is dedicated to ensuring consistent, loving and supportive care at all times.

Thank you to everyone sending (emailing) us “two thumbs up” photos!  Please feel free to email us a photo!

Communication:

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.  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 lived ones will be notified immediately.

At this time, Face Time or virtual visits are not available for positive residents due to Fraser Health Authority protocols that must be followed.

Protocols:

Peace Portal Seniors Village follows protocols established by Fraser Health Authority as well as the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and the BC Center for Disease Control.

We will continue to act upon the latest advice of those who regulate us, and will adapt our operations as necessary and as recommended.

The Outbreak Period is re-evaluated on a daily basis following additional new positive test results.  We will advise families of a definitive Outbreak conclusion date once Fraser Health Authority informs us of it.

Deliveries:

All deliveries will be happily received at the lobby entrance vestibule.  This includes medication deliveries from pharmacies, as well as gifts and mail from friends and family.  All items will be sanitized and delivered directly to resident suites. Please no fresh fruits or vegetables for delivery as Fraser Health has advised against this at this time.

Dropping items off:

We ask that families please follow these guidelines to ensure loved ones receive deliveries in a timely manner:

1.           Please use plastic bags not reusable bags;

2.           Please label all bags with the resident’s name and suite number;

3.           Try to limit drop offs to essential items; and

4.           If possible, please sanitize the items before dropping off.  We will re-sanitize as well to be safe.

Acknowledgements:

We wish to thank families and loved ones in advance for their patience and cooperation.

Please join us in extending our sincere appreciation to the Peace Portal Seniors Village staff, who are dedicated to keeping your loved ones safe and in good spirits.

Thanks again to all of you for your continuing support of Peace Portal Seniors Village.