KinVillage COVID-19 Prevention Plan Update - June 19, 2020
We continue to remain safe and COVID-19 free. It is important not to lose sight of the immense effort all of us including staff, families, residents, tenants and the community, have put into staying safe. Our continued, collective efforts are working. THANK YOU!
We continue to adhere to public health and safety measures outlined by the Provincial Health Officer, BCCDC, Fraser Health’s Medical Health Officer and BC Housing. As changes are brought forward we will be sure to communicate these to you including any changes to visitor restrictions.
We know that it is hard for families to be separated due to COVID-19 and the prevention and control measures that are in place. These measures, including essential visitor restrictions, are critical in protecting the health of our residents, who are most vulnerable to serious, life-threatening illness from COVID-19. It is important to remember as stated by Dr. Henry, “Every person who enters a care home increases the likelihood for the virus to enter with them, regardless of the safety precautions that are taken.” Thank you for your consideration.
Items to share since last week’s update:
Visitors: restrictions continue – there is no change at this time.
- Visitors are not allowed in the Care Home or Assisted Living Residence except one essential adult visitor who passes screening and is visiting a resident for compassionate reasons (i.e. a resident who is actively dying).
- We understand that families are anxious to see their loved ones “in person” especially around special occasions such as this upcoming Father’s Day. We continue to work hard to provide alternative ways of visiting safely including virtual visits, scheduled window/glass door visits at West Court, balcony/patio visits at South Court and through FaceTime, WhatsApp and other technologies. (Please refer to the June 12 Update on how to arrange for one of the virtual/window visits. Staff are able to assist you with scheduling appointments on a one time basis or regular weekly basis).
- Visitors are allowed in North and Vidal Courts though are asked to please not visit if they are experiencing any respiratory, gastrointestinal symptoms, no matter how mild the symptoms are.
Special Deliveries:
- Reminder that families are able to drop off food (non-perishable) and essential personal care items to residents living in West Court - Care Home. We ask family members to follow best practice measures (found on May 22 Update) in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
- Weekly deliveries for Assisted Living residents of essential items only (e.g. breakfast and personal care items) remain unchanged with the exception that potted plants and flowers are now allowed ONLY FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS.
Wellness:
- Our increased recreation team continue to offer a variety of wellness programs with the residents of West Court and South Court as well as with the tenants of Vidal Court. These programs continue to be adapted to support social distancing (with smaller groups in large enough spaces) and to make effective use of technology. All Care Home and Assisted Living residents are encouraged to safely participate in programs that support their physical, mental, and psychological health.
- A reminder that there are lots of wellness, activity and government resources and links available in the KinVillage Community Centre Newsletter for new ways to keep busy and active during this time. Please see our Community Centre newsletter on the KinVillage website or follow this link: https://kinvillage.org/community-centre/community-centre-newsletters/ to discover these available resources.
During these difficult times thank you for continuing to do all you can to stop the threat of COVID-19 entering our homes. Please stay home if feeling unwell, maintain physical distance, wash your hands frequently, practice cough etiquette and be patient and kind to one another.
Sincere thanks this week to our community:
All the staff at the KinVillage care home would like to send out a special thank you out to one of our resident’s, Bill T and his family members, Janice and Pamela for their generous and thoughtful gift of $20 Starbucks cards to all of the staff in our care home – this includes our nurses, resident care aides, recreation, dining and housekeeping staff (120)! Janice and Pamela also sent a message to all of the KinVillage staff of how much they appreciated the compassionate care given to not only their own beloved dad over the years, but all the residents of KinVillage who are in our care. We were all blown away by this thoughtful and generous gift!
It is an honour to take care of your family members and our community’s loved ones. Thank you so much Bill, Janice and Pamela for such a lovely surprise and for your kind words of encouragement!
Anyone who is sending notes of thanks that we can post for our staff as well as all those in the community who “make some noise” for health care workers at 7 pm each evening. You lift our spirits!
p.s. If you would like to donate supplies, food or other items, please check with us first to ensurethat there are no restrictions and that we will be able to accept your gift. Please contact SueSatterthwaite,
Communications & Executive Assistant at 604-943-0155 x238 or ssatterthwaite@kinvillage.org.
Information Sources & Communication
Care Home - Resident Families: If you have not already added your e-mail address to our contact file, please call 604- 943-0155 ext. 221. In the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, KinVillage will provide a daily information release via e-mail and via internal postings.
Care Home - Resident Information - For regular inquiries about resident care, please continue to contact nursing staff. If there is a change in a resident’s health status, the Primary Contact will be notified by the nurse, as per our normal procedure.
Care Home – Connecting with Residents (Skype, Facetime, WhatsApp)
Bettina Salini - Director Wellness: 604-943-0155 ext 250 or bsalini@kinvillage.org
Care Home – General Issues or Concerns
Nadine Brown - Director of Care: 604-943-0155 ext 226 or nbrown@kinvillage.org
Assisted Living
General concerns:
Carol Howard - Director of Housing: 604-943-4805 ext 401 or choward@kinvillage.org
Clinical concerns:
Assisted Living Nurse: 604-943-4805 ext 412
General Concerns
Cynthia Langenberg - Director of Health Services: 604-943-0155 ext 232 or clangenberg@kinvillage.org
Donna Ellis – CEO: 604-306-2775 or dellis@kinvillage.org
Sources of Additional Information:
We recommend the following links for current, accurate updates on the extent of the COVID-19 situation in our province.
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/coronavirus-(novel)
http://www.news.gov.bc.ca/ - Ministry Updates http://www.healthlink.bc.ca/ - HealthLink BC