Williams Lake Seniors Village, Community Update, May 6 2021
Dear Families,
We hope you are all staying safe and healthy!
Medical Health Officers Orders
We are DELIGHTED to hear of Dr. Bonnie Henry’s new directives regarding the easing of visitation restrictions in Long Term Care and Assisted Living that began April 1st. Please see “Visiting Information” for the following changes and to see how to book a visit.
Please take into consideration new guidelines from Dr.Bonnie Henry that strongly urge people to stay within their community/ quadrant of their city.
Second COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic
All residents of the Williams Lake Seniors Village will be receiving the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine on THURSDAY MAY 13th starting in the morning. At this time Public Health is only doing residents – staff/essential visitors will need to register online for their second dose using the website – https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register
As our clinical teams prepare for the arrival of the vaccine please remind your loved ones in Assisted Living and Independent Living that we will call them directly to schedule their vaccine time.
The vaccine brand you received for your first dose will also be the vaccine brand you received for your second dose. e.g. If you received the Moderna vaccine for your first dose you will also receive the Moderna for your second dose.
AL/IL Mock Evacuation
Next Friday, May 14th 2021, is our annual MOCK evacuation. Due to COVID-19 precautions and restrictions staff will be coming suite to suite to ensure all residents have prepared their bags in the event of an actual evacuation. There are instructions posted on the back of all residents’ front doors to show exactly what is needed or what is a good idea bring in case we need to leave the building.
We have included in this email the poster posted on the back of everyone’s apartment door with the list of what needs to be prepared and shown at next Friday’s MOCK evacuation.
Visiting Information
We are thrilled to be sending this email out today with information and booking details for visits moving forward. As most of you were made aware, Dr. Bonnie Henry has made some very exciting changes to the current COVID-19 guidelines in Long Term Care and Assisted Living Communities that have been revised provincially effective April 1st 2021. All residents of WLSV, including those living in Independent Living, are included in the following.
We ask families and residents to keep in mind the following requirements:
Protecting our communities and their loved ones is our top priority at Retirement concepts. The benefits of this social interaction are said to currently outweigh the risks of COVID-19 and we are thrilled to be able to see families together again. Please understand there are still risks associated with this and our guidelines and protocols are in place to do all we can to keep our community safe. Any non-compliance of the current requirements and guidelines may result in the visit being suspended. We ask families and friends to practice safety and caution in order to keep all of our residents and team members safe and healthy during this time.
Lastly, we encourage everyone to keep within the provincial guidelines in your daily lives. As restrictions ease, your loved ones safety is also in your hands. Performing hand hygiene, proper PPE, self-monitoring for symptoms and enhanced sanitization in your day to day is now more important than ever.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Extra Visiting Information
We have been so excited that our residents and their loved ones have been able to connect over the last few weeks in a special way. We just want to remind visitors of a few things:
Recreation
Some Recreation updates for May:
Special Days:
On these days we have special treats that will be delivered by the Recreation staff.
We are going to be doing much more outdoor programming as the weather gets nicer including Bocci Ball, Gardening, and outdoor socials. We will continue to offer as many outings as are operationally possible.
On May 20th we are having a BBQ Lunch for all of our residents! This is going to be a fun way to welcome summer.
Please let Andrea Know if you have any suggestions or comments about the Recreation programming!
Assisted Living & Independent Living
In Assisted Living and Independent Living, all recreation activities are to be signed up for in our “Recreation Events” binder located at the “Sign In/Sign Out” table in the main lobby. The list of events happening each week with the number of spaces available are in this book. Residents are encouraged to sign up for these activities. Residents must sign up in advance for these activities, at this time “drop ins” are not available.
All events are still being held with the same precautionary measures and all residents will be prescreened before participating. All events will be facilitated by Olena to make sure all precautionary measures are met and social distancing requirements are met. Fitness, News and Views, baking, Documentary Club, and Bingo are among a few of events happening this week that your loved ones are encouraged to sign up for and participate in!
Long Term Care
In Long Term Care all activities will be hosted by our LTC Recreation Aides and will be adhering to all precautionary measures and residents will be prescreened, social distanced during programming and a thorough sanitization of the activity space before and after each activity will occur. Residents are encouraged to participate in activities such as exercise, crafts, charades, music and reading.
Hair Dresser
We are excited to announce that our Hair Salon has opened for all residents at the Williams Lake Seniors Village. AL and IL residents are asked to sign up in the Recreation Binder for their preferred date and time. At this time our hair dresser, Vicki, will be available Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s from 10-4 each week. AL/IL residents are asked to bring cash to their appointment as that is the only payment type available
If your loved one would like a reoccurring time slot please speak to Andrea at 250-305-3314 or ahodgetts@retirementconcepts.com
Dining & Housekeeping
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.
Menus are given out at the end of each week for the following week. Residents are asked, at that time, to select what main course they would like and our servers collect the papers at the end of the dining time. Alongside our Support Services Manager, Kirstyn, our Support Service team work together to make sure all preferences are met and everyone has a pleasant dining experience. All completed menus are then returned to each resident so they have their selections to refer back to. Spring Menu started Monday, April 5th!
A Spring BBQ is in the books for May for our residents! More details to come!
For Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 9th we will be having a delicious a-la-cart brunch buffet. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, and fresh fruit will be served!
If you have any questions about meals, menus, or housekeeping please contact our Support Service Manager, Kirstyn, at kjorde@retirementconcepts.com or 250-305-3309.
Protocols
Aside from the single visitor policy, we are following the direction of our public health officials 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:
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. If you are attending a scheduled in person visit feel free to bring your supply items with you. After our team sanitizes the items you may take them with you to your visit.
Please remember that NO medications, including cough drops, cough syrup, voltaren gel, etc. should be brought in and given to a Long Term Care resident/loved one. All medications must be received from Care Rx only!
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.
Please DO NOT drop off items 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 daily.
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:
We want to thank everyone for their cooperation and patience during this difficult period.
Thank You,
Your Team at the Williams Lake Seniors Village