COVID 19 update-Rosemary Heights- Dec 3, 2020

Hello family & friends of Rosemary Heights!

We are relieved to tell you that there are no current cases of COVID-19 in our residents or staff here at Rosemary Heights Seniors Village.

This week RHSV residents and staff will be busy preparing for the holiday season! Decorations have started to be hung and lights will be strung throughout the hallways and rooms of Rosemary Heights. Residents are always encouraged to participate in the joy of decorating, helping the staff with setting up Christmas trees on each floor. A noticeable smile lit up on many of the residents faces as they pitched in to help, and it is apparent now more than ever that we all need a little holiday cheer in these difficult times. Other Christmas and holiday themed activities will be occurring in the upcoming weeks, such as art and crafts, and music sing-alongs (masked of course)

As the holiday season approaches, RHSV would like to thank everyone, family and friends, during these past few months, and we can’t thank you all enough for your patience and cooperation. We are hopeful that families will be able to see each other for the holidays, as we are all realizing its more important about who is around our table than what is under the tree.

We are trusting that you and your families are following the Provincial Health order in a cumulative effort to flatten the curve. Until December 7^th, as per the PHO, residents should only be leaving the building for essential medical appointments only not on any social visits.

NEW ORDERS: As I am sure most of you have seen Dr. Bonnie Henry’s message that until Dec 7^th she wants all of us to limit people we see and stay in our bubbles. With that in mind, please know that for right now we are asking you to not visit if you are out of province to ensure we keep our residents safe. We are hoping that you can understand that in order for us to be able to do this, we need your cooperation. We have had many phone calls and messages about visits for the Holidays and at this time, based on the recent orders through Dr. Bonnie Henry and the province, we will not be taking any bookings until at least December 7^th. We will revisit what that will look like at that time. Again, we will not be booking for Christmas Eve visits or calls or anything to do with the holidays at this time until after December 7^th.

Please note that all visitors are now required to wear a medical mask when coming to Rosemary Heights. Cloth masks are no longer acceptable.

Hair Salon

Sadly, the hair salon will remain closed until further notice.

Recreation (message from the team)

Christmas is going to be very different this year. Many of us will not be able to see our loved ones. We have started receiving requests for video chats on Christmas Day. We will do what we can to accommodate, however, we are limited on staffing and we want to ensure we bring some joy to all the residents this day. Please take a moment to consider if a call on another day would satisfy you and your family member before you request Christmas Day. Also, please keep in mind that we will be limiting all calls that day to 15 minutes. Thank you for your understanding!

The Recreation team has started to sort through the Christmas decorations. It already feels like the building is festive with Christmas spirit and I know for myself, we can really use this boost. The Rec staff continue to conducting 1:1 visits and small group activities. This could look like walking indoors or outdoors (weather dependant), reading, discussing news, trivia, puzzles, tea/coffee social, crafts, card games etc. They are also going room-to-room while using appropriate PPE to check on the residents and to drop off activities to keep resident minds sharp. Again, please remind and motivate your loved ones to participate in these different activities. The Recreation team are facilitating FaceTime and Skype to the best of their abilities, while also completing their other duties.

We will continue to offer scheduled video calls for those families who live out of town or are unable to come in for any reason. Please connect with Jaylene Smillie in our recreation department by emailing jsmillie@retirementconcepts.com or by calling 778-545-5000 ext. 1007

Designated Visitor schedules will now be accepted in our designated meeting areas. There is no change in Mandate of number of visitors (one only) as per Health Authority – protocols remain as is:

Each tenant and/or resident will be allotted one assigned family member for their visitations. *Update* Per FHA Infection, prevention control committee; pets are not permitted to be in attendance during these visits.
Our priority is protecting the residents/tenants. Family/social visits are limited to a maximum of one designated family member or friend at a time (we are not permitted to have alternative visitors per the Provincial Health Officers).
ALL visitors are now required to wear a medical mask when coming to Rosemary Heights and/or to visit their loved one. Cloth masks are no longer acceptable.
To request visit times/dates email this address rhsv-familyvisits@retirementconcepts.com for visitation. Please include your name, contact telephone number, and name of resident your email. Allow 48-72 hours for reply. Keep in mind that we will initially hold monthly visits only in order to accommodate everyone and it will be first come first serve.
Please arrive a maximum of 5 minutes before visitation appointment to complete pre-screening requirements
All visits will be held indoors now that the Fall/Winter weather may be unpredictable.
Visits will be 30 minutes and will not be able to accommodate extended times. Please adhere to social distancing and sanitization protocol at all times. * No food or drink are permitted during these visits*.
AND PLEASE NOTE: Should the community have any type of outbreak, visits will cease immediately

Deliveries and Drop-offs:

**We will not be accepting any deliveries on Fri, DEC 25 or Sat, DEC 26 and will be closed to all deliveries on Sun Dec 27th*** Please ensure all your loved one’s holiday deliveries are done before Dec 24^th, and deliveries will resume Dec 28th

Monday-Friday 10am-2pm, and Saturday 1-3pm only, closed to all Sunday deliveries:

Please use plastic bags, no reusable bags.
Make sure to label all bags with resident name and room number. No heavy deliveries
Try to limit drop offs to essential items – as we are inundated with drop-offs.

Please do not drop off items after hours, we do not have staff to be able to accept it and may be left outside until the designated time listed, if you do, you will be taking your chances & we will not be responsible for anything that is left after hours.

Thank You

We are all truly thankful to those of you doing everything you can to keep yourself and everyone here at Rosemary Heights safe.

We also wish to acknowledge our entire leadership and front-line team for their loving efforts and support to ensure the safety of your loved ones.

Take care, and let’s take care of each other.

Stay Safe, stay calm, & stay kind.

– Your team at Rosemary Heights Seniors Village (RHSV)