December 17, 2020
Hello families and friends of Rosemary Heights Seniors Village
We hope that everyone is continuing to stay safe and healthy! We are very pleased to share there are no signs or symptoms of COVID-19 in any of our residents or staff here at Rosemary Heights Seniors Village. We continue to be extra mindful of protocols, self-care, and the best interests of the health and safety of all our residents. Should the status of our Community change in any respect, please know that we will immediately contact families. We continue to monitor all residents & staff daily for any symptoms. If your loved one is deemed symptomatic or tests positive, please know you will be contacted directly by phone.
Today we completed the testing/swabbing of all residents located on the 2nd floor along with all staff members. The Medical Health Officer has deemed us a low risk, and they are not declaring an official outbreak however we are on an enhanced monitoring outbreak until the morning of Dec 28th. Why do you ask should we be isolated for 14 days even if they have no symptoms? The incubation period for the virus that causes COVID-19 is 14 days, and this means someone who is exposed to the virus can still develop symptoms up to 14 days after exposure, regardless of receiving a negative COVID-19 test result.
We remain currently with only one staff member that tested positive and they are home in isolation recovering with no symptoms.
We are continuing with our COVID outbreak protocols & enhanced cleaning and we have isolated 2nd floor Long term care residents under droplet precautions and meals being delivered to their rooms.
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. We will continue with in person visits for any one that has scheduled a visit, this is for Assisted living residents only. 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.
Christmas Spirit at RHSV:
RHSV is looking very Christmassy. We are so very grateful for our fantastic team who have been working hard to make our community festive (Jaylene, Sue, Susan, Tammy, Jas, & Nikki for the loving details of holiday joy. (Your passion is showing! Thank you). This year we have had to follow guidelines around decorations so we have come up with some new wonderful ideas to get ourselves into the Christmas spirit. A big thank you to London Drugs: Kim Stuart, & Chris Knowles, their wonderful team who reached out to our local families for gift donations for our residents. All our residents will be receiving Christmas gift which will include – Blankets, slippers, word game books, puzzles and other tasty goodies. A number of our local schools have done special personalized Christmas cards for each residents and we will be handing them to residents along with their gifts on Christmas which will surely brighten their day.
Until further notice, if you have an in person family visit scheduled from now until Dec 28th, these are now cancelled and all group activities have been paused for 2nd 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 Corporate 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.
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
Please join us in extending our sincere appreciation to the Rosemary Heights Seniors Village team, who are dedicated to keeping your loved ones safe and in good spirits. 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.
We would also like to extend our sincere thanks & appreciation to all the families who provided our staff with love & festive holiday wishes through individual wrapped food treats. Thank you for your generosity, it really makes the team feel supported & cared for.
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!
– Your team at Rosemary Heights Seniors Village (RHSV)