December 16, 2020

Hello families and friends of Rosemary Heights Seniors Village

Today we have been advised by the Medical Health Officer that they deem us low risk, and they are not declaring an Outbreak however we are on an enhanced monitoring until the morning of Dec 28th. This could change should any further cases appear. They will continue to monitor us and we will remain under isolation until Dec 28^th.   We remain currently with only one staff member that tested positive and they are home in isolation recovering with no symptoms.  No residents have tested positive for COVID to date, however we have a few residents with symptoms that are related to flu & COVID, and out of an abundance of caution, we have had them tested & they have resulted in negative results thus far, and for that we are grateful.

I am so very sorry to deliver this news especially with Christmas around the corner.

We are continuing with our COVID outbreak protocols & enhanced cleaning and we have isolated 2^nd floor Long term care residents under droplet precautions and meals being delivered to their rooms.  Tomorrow we will commence testing every resident on the 2^nd floor expect for those residents that had tested positive back in our October outbreak. All team members will be tested and we continue to monitor all residents & staff for any symptoms.

I would like to express special thanks to our incredible team members, residents and families for your continued calm, support and daily encouragement.  It is truly appreciated.  Staff morale is high, and their positive attitude is passed on to our residents.

As far as we are aware, there was no contact with our independent living or assisted living floors. At this time, Independent and assisted living residents are still able to attend medical essential visits but no social visits permitted.  If you are selecting to take your loved one that lives in Assisted Living for Christmas dinner, please note they will be quarantined for 14 days.   This could all change should any residents or staff become symptomatic.

Any other residents or staff that are symptomatic will be swabbed and family members will be contacted directly via phone.  Please know that the care and safety of residents is our number one priority, and we are treating the situation very seriously.   Please know that we will only contact family members by phone that have loved ones that test positive.

Until further notice, if you have an in person family visit scheduled from now until Dec 28^th, these are now cancelled and all group activities have been paused for 2^nd floor. This includes facetime, zoom, and skype as staff work to ensure all isolated residents are monitored and cared for fully.

Communication

As a result of the one confirmed case of COVID-19, we will provide families with a daily email update that will also be posted under COVID 19 updates on our website. Should the condition of any resident change, their family will be notified by phone immediately.

Protocols

BC’s Medical Health Officer and CDC have been notified. We are following protocols established by the Health Authority, the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and BC Center for Disease Control.

We will continue to act upon their latest advice, and will adapt our operations as necessary and recommended. 

Deliveries

All deliveries will be received at the lobby entrance vestibule. This includes medication deliveries from pharmacies, other gifts and mail. All items will be sanitized and delivered directly to the residents’ suite.

When dropping items off, we would ask that families please follow the following guidelines to ensure loved ones will receive their 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. In consideration of staff-to-resident priorities as well as infection control, please 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.

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.

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to everyone for working so hard to keep Rosemary Heights safe and healthy, as well as for the kindness, understanding and support you share.  Your understanding and patience has meant a lot to our staff.

I want to applaud the tremendous effort and commitment of all our staff. They have shown and continue to show incredible teamwork and devotion in all departments, to our residents, and to each of you.  I am humbled to work alongside this group of extraordinary people.

Emails or calls may not be returned as quickly as normal as we work with health authorities to ensure constant care for the residents.

A big thank you to everyone for your hard work, grace and persistence!

Stay Safe, stay calm, & stay kind.

– Your team at Rosemary Heights Seniors Village (RHSV)