Williams Lake Seniors Village, Community Update, July 3 2020

Dear Families, 

We hope you are all staying safe and healthy!

There are NO cases of reported outbreak nor signs nor symptoms of COVID-19 in any of our residents or staff here at Williams Lake Seniors Village.

As you are likely aware, BC Health Minister Adrian Dix and BC Medical Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced changes to Assisted Living and Long Term Care Guidelines related to COVID -19, on Tuesday June 30, 2020: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020HLTH0211-001207

Over the next 7 to 10 days, they have asked Care Providers to prepare written safety plans to facilitate single designated visitors to single designated areas at Care Providing Sites. As a result, we will be working to address their requirements as quickly as possible. We know that residents and families are eagerly awaiting this opportunity, and as soon as more detailed information is available, including the status of Sites and their readiness to safely receive visitors, we will share that information with you directly by email.

In the meantime, a gentle reminder that our no visitor policy remains in place. We continue to follow the direction of our public health officials to the letter and have full infection prevention and control precautions in place. Staff continue to monitor residents closely and are ensuring the following protocols are being adhered to. Our expectation is that these guidelines are followed and to PLEASE be respectful and kind to our staff who are doing everything they can to keep your loved ones safe.

Visitation Information

Thank you for your patience as we adhere to all requests by our Provincial Health Officer to create a safety plan that will protect the most vulnerable that live in our community. When our safety plan is complete our teams will be reaching out to each family individually to schedule a time for someone to come in and visit. We cannot wait to welcome you back and thank you for your support as we work as quickly as possible to make this happen.

Please note that when visitations start to happen you will be required to bring your own mask. This means a mask, cloth or medical, is appropriate. Masks will NOT be provided and if forgotten you will unable to enter the building for your scheduled visitation time. At this time isolation gowns and gloves are NOT required. Please familiarize yourself with donning and doffing procedures before coming in for your scheduled visit. Our teams will be here to assist during your scheduled visit should you have any questions.

Protocols 

We are following the direction of our public health officials to the letter and have full infection prevention and control precautions in place. Staff continue to monitor residents closely and are ensuring the following protocols are being adhered to:

• Restricting ALL visitors from the premises
• Ensuring no staff member is working in multiple facilities
• Staff are working strictly within an assigned unit and not multiple units
• Staff are removing outside clothing and footwear upon entering the premises. They are bringing their work clothes in a sealed bag as a precautionary measure.
• Staff are screened for their temperature upon entrance to the building, and midway through their shift
• Social distancing is occurring among residents in each facility, including during mealtimes
• Appropriate application and removal of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the use of individual slings (cloth component of a personal lift).
• Ensuring ongoing, environmental cleaning and increased frequency of high touch surfaces in order to break the chain of infection
• Staff and residents are committed to regular/proper hand hygiene to break the chain of infection, by washing their hands with soap and water and applying hand sanitizer frequently.

Recreation Program

The Recreation staff are continuing to conduct one-on-one activities and small group activities while using best physical distancing practices. The Recreation staff are also going room-to-room each day to check on each resident and to drop off activities to keep resident minds sharp. Again, please remind and motivate your loved ones to participate in these activities.

In Assisted Living our Recreation Aide Jolene will be reaching out to schedule these activities directly with your loved one, and each resident will be prescreened before participating. All events will be facilitated by Jolene to make sure all precautionary measures are met. Bingo, Fitness, News and Views, etc. are among the list of activities we are hosting in our Bistro Courtyard while enjoying fresh air and sunshine!

In Long Term Care our Recreation Aides have begun small group therapeutic recreation activities. These activities will be hosted by our LTC Recreation Aides and will be adhering to all precautionary measures such as prescreening questions, social distancing, and thorough sanitization of the activity space before and after each activity. Residents have been so happy to have activities such as exercise, charades, music, darts, etc. back and ready for them to participate in each day!

To the extent staff are able to facilitate Facetime, Skype and window visits for residents they are doing so, amidst their other duties. Please reach out to Andrea, our Therapeutic Recreation Manager’s e-mail at ahodgetts@retirementconcepts.com or call 250-305-3314 to set up a schedule. We will be happy to confirm a date and time to connect you with your loved-one.

At this time, we are asking to please visit with your loved one over the phone or via Skype/Face Time only. At NO time is visiting in our main lobby or outside an option. You will be asked to leave immediately if these precautionary measures are not followed. Thank you for your understanding and helping put your family members and our staff’s health and safety first.

Just a friendly reminder that LPNS on care units will do their best to take phone calls from family members who call to speak to their loved ones however, at times you may be asked to call back or wait for a different time to talk to your loved one. Our residents’ care and needs come first and there are times when the LPN and Care Aides are providing care and cannot accommodate a phone call at the same time. Thank you for your understanding and support in being flexible about phone call times.

We are excited to announce that we have Recreation Aides that have experience in cutting hair. They will be offering this service for our Long Term Care residents so that they may feel refreshed with the warmer weather approaching. Andrea will be reaching out to families to see if this is a service you would like your loved one to receive. If you do not hear from Andrea and you would like to get your loved one scheduled in please don’t hesitate to reach out to her! ahodgetts@retirementconcepts.com or 250-305-3314.

Friendly Outreach Support Program

A volunteer from an organization known as NICE (National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly) has reached out to our community to offer their free services to our residents and their loved ones during this difficult time.

This organization responds to the issue of social isolation among older adults and persons with disabilities.

Over the phone, they offer free, friendly outreach and brief counselling services. They are a team of social workers and social work students that are trying to address the isolation and loneliness that are too commonly experienced across the country. The initiative is called “TALK2NICE”.

Please reach out to www.nicenet.ca or 1 (844) 529-7292 if you would like to connect with them.

Dining Room

As of Wednesday June 24th, we re-opened our Assisted Living Dining Room for lunch and dinner. Tenants have been asked to join for their seating at 12PM/1PM for lunch and/or 5PM/6PM for dinner. All social distancing and strict sanitization procedures will be executed before and after each meal. We can offer a maximum of two people per table, as per our Provincial Health Officer’s guidelines and for the safety of our tenants we have removed table clothes, center pieces and are using reusable condiments at this time. Tables will not be pre-set to ensure safety and cleanliness before residents sit down to enjoy their meal. If you have any questions about the transition of meals being served in the Dining Room please feel free to contact our Support Service Manager, Kirstyn, at kjorde@retirementconcepts.com or 250-305-3309.

If Required:

All deliveries will be received at the front door. This includes groceries, medications, flowers, and gifts. All will be sanitized and delivered directly to the resident’s suites.

Dropping items off: We would ask that families please follow these guidelines as I am sure you want your parent or loved-one to get their deliveries in a timely manner.

1. Please use plastic bags, no reusable bags
2. Make sure to label all bags with resident full name and room number
3. Try to limit drop offs to essential items. There are days when staff are overwhelmed trying to keep up
4. Please sanitize, if possible, the items before dropping off. We will re-sanitize as well to be safe
5. Please leave all items on the white cart label “DROP OFF LOCATION” outside the Front Door. Our staff will receive the items once you are back in your vehicle.
6. Items may be dropped off Monday – Fridaybetween 8:00am and 3:30pm.

   Please DO NOT drop off items on the weekends or after hours, they will not be accepted and will be left outside until the designated time listed above.  Due to high volumes of items being dropped off our drop off hours are set to accommodate thorough sanitization processes and timely deliveries to your loved one’s suite while we are fully staffed. We ask that ALL deliveries be dropped off on the white cart by 3:30pm Monday-Friday.

   Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time.

Reminders for your loved-one to Stay Safe: Again, the following four points are so critical to discuss with your loved ones. Please help us by reminding each resident daily of the following four items:

1. Practice social distancing (6 feet apart)
2. Perform proper Hand Hygiene (Wash hands frequently for 20 seconds with the alcohol-based sanitizer or soap and  hot water) 20 second or greater is so important.
3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
4. If exhibiting any symptoms (fever, cough and difficulty breathing) please alert staff immediately.

We want to thank everyone for their cooperation and patience during this difficult period.

Thank You

Your Team at the Williams Lake Seniors Village