TERRACE EAST DINING ROOM – DECEMBER 16, 2021 – REOPENING MEMO

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MEMO DISTRIBUTED TO ALL TERRACE EAST RESIDENTS

Date:                December 15, 2021
To:                   All Terrace East Residents
Re:                   In-Person Dining Room 7 Days a Week!
________________________________________________________________________

Dear Terrace East Residents,

We are delighted to announce that starting Monday, December 20th Terrace East residents can eat together in the dining room, seven days a week.

  • The dining room will open for residents at 12:00 with lunch served at 12:20.
  • Sanitize your hands before you sit down and again after you’ve eaten.
  • Go directly to your table without visiting at other tables. Keep your mask on.
  • Your spot to sit is arranged with others from your floor. You will remain in this spot for contact tracing purposes.
  • The dining room will open for supper at 4:30 with the meal served at 4:45.

To do our best to keep the dining room open, we need to work together to do our part to stay safe. This means:

  • Wear a mask to the dining room and keep it on until you start to eat or drink.
  • Put your mask back on immediately after you finish your meal.
  • Please do not visit other tables. This will reduce possibility of COVID transmission.
  • If you feel unwell (see COVID symptoms on back) call reception 604-851-4004 and your meal will be delivered at no charge. On the weekend, call the kitchen to make arrangements 604-851-4011.
  • Wear a mask at all times when outside of your apartment – in the hallways,when you are running errands and while at church. These are public health orders. Wear a mask if you visit or drive with any unvaccinated friends or family.
  • If you are concerned about joining the communal dining, please contact Leonard Klassen 604-851-4006 to arrange to have your meals delivered at no charge.

You can read more about the safety measures Menno Place is using to protect residents in the dining rooms during the pandemic on the back of this memo.

If you have any questions about the new guidelines for dining please contact Claire at Reception 604-851-4004 or Leonard, Life Enrichment Coordinator, 604-851-4006.

Menno Place Dining Room Safety Procedures

We are hopeful that the decision to open the dining rooms will continue for the duration of the winter season. If the new COVID variant is prevalent in our community OR the public health orders change OR we have a COVID exposure, we may be required to close the dining room once again.

Why is it possible now to open the dining rooms?

  • CASPR air scrubbers have been installed in all dining rooms in the Apartments (99.96% kill rate on surfaces: bacteria, viruses and mold). This was recommended by Fraser Health of out an abundance of caution.
  • Most residents in your building are fully vaccinated and have also had a third booster shot. All staff have been double vaccinated and many have had their booster.
  • The few residents who have not been vaccinated will be seated together.
  • Residents who have received one or two vaccine shots will be contacted to help them complete their vaccinations.
  • Church services are safer now that masks are mandatory by public health order. When everyone wears their mask (over nose and mouth), it reduces risk of becoming infected at church and bringing it home to your neighbors in this building.

If you have questions or concerns about these safety protocols please contact
Leonard 604-851-4006.

Monitor yourself for any of these symptoms – if you have any symptoms, do not come to the dining room. Go to the COVID testing site at 32470 Haida Drive for a COVID test.

Fever                                  Sore throat                                                   Body aches

Cough                                 Loss of sense of smell                                Loss of sense of taste

Nausea                               Vomiting                                                       Difficulty breathing

Headache                          Loss of appetite                                          Diarrhea

Chills                                   Extreme fatigue or tiredness

 

 

TERRACE WEST DINING ROOM – DECEMBER 16, 2021 – REOPENING MEMO

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MEMO PROVIDED TO ALL TERRACE WEST RESIDENTS

Date:                December 15, 2021
To:                   All Terrace West Residents
Re:                   In-Person Dining Room 7 Days a Week!
________________________________________________________________________

Dear Terrace West Residents,

We are delighted to announce that starting Monday, December 20th Terrace West residents can eat together in the dining room, seven days a week.

  • The dining room will open for residents at 11:00 with lunch served at 11:20.
  • Sanitize your hands before you sit down and again after you’ve eaten.
  • Go directly to your table without visiting at other tables. Keep your mask on.
  • Your spot to sit is arranged with others from your floor. You will remain in this spot for contact tracing purposes.
  • Residents who are on the supper plan: your evening meal will be delivered.

To do our best to keep the dining room open, we need to work together to do our part to stay safe. This means:

  • Wear a mask to the dining room and keep it on until you start to eat or drink.
  • Put your mask back on immediately after you finish your meal.
  • Please do not visit other tables. This will reduce possibility of COVID transmission.
  • If you feel unwell (see COVID symptoms on back) call reception 604-851-4004 and your meal will be delivered at no charge. On the weekend, call the kitchen to make arrangements 604-851-4011.
  • Wear a mask at all times when outside of your apartment – in the hallways,when you are running errands and while at church. These are public health orders. Wear a mask if you visit or drive with any unvaccinated friends or family.
  • If you are concerned about joining the communal dining, please contact Leonard Klassen 604-851-4006 to arrange to have your meals delivered at no charge.

You can read more about the safety measures Menno Place is using to protect residents in the dining rooms during the pandemic on the back of this memo.

If you have any questions about the new guidelines for dining please contact Claire at Reception 604-851-4004 or Leonard, Life Enrichment Coordinator, 604-851-4006.

Menno Place Dining Room Safety Procedures

We are hopeful that the decision to open the dining rooms will continue for the duration of the winter season. If the new COVID variant is prevalent in our community OR the public health orders change OR we have a COVID exposure, we may be required to close the dining room once again.

Why is it possible now to open the dining rooms?

  • CASPR air scrubbers have been installed in all dining rooms in the Apartments (99.96% kill rate on surfaces: bacteria, viruses and mold). This was recommended by Fraser Health out of an abundance of caution. (https://casprgroup.com/healthcare/)
  • Most residents in your building are fully vaccinated and have also had a third booster shot. All staff have been double vaccinated and many have had their booster.
  • The few residents who have not been vaccinated will be seated together.
  • Residents who have received one or two vaccine shots will be contacted to help them complete their vaccinations.
  • Church services are safer now that masks are mandatory by public health order. When everyone wears their mask (over nose and mouth), it reduces risk of becoming infected at church and bringing it home to your neighbors in this building.

If you have questions or concerns about these safety protocols please contact Leonard 604-851-4006.

Monitor yourself for any of these symptoms – if you have any symptoms, do not come to the dining room. Go to the COVID testing site at 32470 Haida Drive for a COVID test.

Fever                                  Sore throat                                                   Body aches

Cough                                 Loss of sense of smell                                Loss of sense of taste

Nausea                               Vomiting                                                       Difficulty breathing

Headache                          Loss of appetite                                          Diarrhea

Chills                                   Extreme fatigue or tiredness

 

 

PAVILION DINING ROOM – DECEMBER 16, 2021 – REOPENING MEMO

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MEMO PROVIDED TO ALL PAVILION RESIDENTS

Date:                December 15, 2021
To:                   All Pavilion Residents
Re:                   In-Person Dining Room 7 Days a Week!
________________________________________________________________________

Dear Pavilion Residents,

We are delighted to announce that starting Monday, December 20th all Pavilion residents can eat together in the dining room, seven days a week.

  • The dining room will open for residents at 11:30 with lunch served at 12:00.
  • Sanitize your hands before you sit down and again after you’ve eaten.
  • Go directly to your table without visiting at other tables. Keep your mask on.
  • Your spot to sit is arranged with others from your floor. You will remain in this spot for contact tracing purposes.

To do our best to keep the dining room open, we need to work together to do our part to stay safe. This means:

  • Wear a mask to the dining room and keep it on until you start to eat or drink.
  • Put your mask back on immediately after you finish your meal.
  • Please do not visit other tables. This will reduce possibility of COVID transmission.
  • If you feel unwell (see COVID symptoms on back) call reception 604-851-4000 and your meal will be delivered at no charge. On the weekend, call the kitchen to make arrangements 604-870-2926.
  • Wear a mask at all times when outside of your apartment – in the hallways, when you are running errands and while at church. These are public health orders. Wear a mask if you visit or drive with any unvaccinated friends or family.
  • If you are concerned about joining the communal dining, please contact Leonard Klassen 604-851-4006 to arrange to have your meals delivered at no charge.

You can read more about the safety measures Menno Place is using to protect residents in the dining rooms during the pandemic on the back of this memo.

If you have any questions about the new guidelines for dining please contact Lynn at Reception 604-851-4000 or Leonard, Life Enrichment Coordinator, 604-851-4006.

 

 

Menno Place Dining Room Safety Procedures

We are hopeful that the decision to open the dining rooms will continue for the duration of the winter season. If the new COVID variant is prevalent in our community OR the public health orders change OR we have a COVID exposure, we may be required to close the dining room once again.

Why is it possible now to open the dining rooms?

  • CASPR air scrubbers have been installed in all dining rooms in the Apartments (99.96% kill rate on surfaces: bacteria, viruses and mold). This was recommended by Fraser Health out of an abundance of caution. (https://casprgroup.com/healthcare/)
  • Most residents in your building are fully vaccinated and have also had a third booster shot. All staff have been double vaccinated and many have had their booster.
  • The few residents who have not been vaccinated will be seated together.
  • Residents who have received one or two vaccine shots will be contacted to help them complete their vaccinations.
  • Church services are safer now that masks are mandatory by public health order. When everyone wears their mask (over nose and mouth), it reduces risk of becoming infected at church and bringing it home to your neighbors in this building.

If you have questions or concerns about these safety protocols please contact Leonard 604-851-4006.

Monitor yourself for any of these symptoms – if you have any symptoms, do not come to the dining room. Go to the COVID testing site at 32470 Haida Drive for a COVID test.

Fever                                  Sore throat                                                   Body aches

Cough                                 Loss of sense of smell                                Loss of sense of taste

Nausea                               Vomiting                                                       Difficulty breathing

Headache                          Loss of appetite                                          Diarrhea

Chills                                   Extreme fatigue or tiredness

 

 

TERRACE WEST DINING TO RE-OPEN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29

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MEMO

Date:                November 26, 2021
To:                   All Terrace West Residents
Re:                   Welcome Back to the Dining Room!
________________________________________________________________________

Dear Terrace West Residents,

We are re-opening in-person dining starting on Monday, November 29th! We’re so excited to see you back downstairs for some of your meals.

In order to ensure COVID safety we need to have smaller groups of residents eating together. To accommodate this Terrace West residents will be eating in the bistro. The following schedule will be in place until further notice:

  1. Residents who live on the 1st floor will come to the bistro on MONDAYS.
  2. Residents who live on the 2nd floor will come on TUESDAYS.
  3. Residents who live on the 3rd floor will come on WEDNESDAYS.
  4. Residents who live on the 4th floor will come on THURSDAYS.

All residents will be served their lunch in their apartment on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Thank you for working with us through these challenging times. We appreciate your efforts and your patience as we sorted through the best ways to reopen safely.

If you have any questions please contact Claire at Reception: 604-851-4004.

PAVILION DINING ROOM TO RE-OPEN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29

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MEMO

Date:                November 26, 2021
To:                   All Pavilion Residents
Re:                   Welcome Back to the Dining Room!
________________________________________________________________________

Dear Pavilion Residents,

We are re-opening the Pavilion dining room starting on Monday, November 29th! We’re so excited to see you back downstairs for some of your meals.

In order to ensure COVID safety we need to have fewer people in the dining room at one time. The following schedule will be in place until further notice.

  1. Residents who live on the 1st and 2nd floors will come to the dining room on:
    1. Mondays
    2. Wednesdays
    3. Fridays
  2. Residents who live on the 3rd floor will come to the dining room on:
    1. Tuesdays
    2. Thursdays
  3. All residents will be served their lunch in their apartment on Sundays.

Thank you for working with us through these challenging times. We appreciate your efforts and your patience as we sorted through the best ways to reopen safely.

If you have any questions please contact Lynn Tetrault, Primrose Gardens & Pavilion Receptionist, at 604-851-4000.

APARTMENTS DINING EXPERIENCE – UPDATE – NOVEMBER 25, 2021

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APARTMENTS DINING ROOM UPDATE – NOVEMBER 25, 2021

PAVILION – Residents in the Pavilion will begin having meals in the dining room on Monday, November 29, 2021. This will begin one floor at a time. A memo will be distributed tomorrow to the residents with details.

TERRACE WEST – Residents in Terrace West will begin having meals in the Terrace West Bistro on Monday, November 29, 2021. This will begin one floor at a time. A memo will be distributed tomorrow to the residents with details.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE WITH DINING EXPERIENCE

The Community Enrichment team will be meeting next week with our Infection Control Lead to discuss how we can improve the dining experience in the apartments while maintaining safety for residents.

Factors that we will consider are:

  1. The percentage of each apartment building that has 3 doses of COVID vaccine.
  2. The percentage of unvaccinated residents in the apartment building.
  3. The prevalence of COVID in the community, particularly in the churches. COVID in our Apartments has been traced back to church events.
  4. The installation of air-scrubbers to mitigate the possibility of airborne transmission.
  5. The social needs of the residents and the risks residents are willing to take.
  6. Commitment of the residents to vigilance with layers of safety from COVID.
  7. Creative ways that we can bring groups of residents together – similar to a restaurant environment.

As you know, we saw in the Terrace East Outbreak how very quickly COVID can spread. It was clear to us and to Fraser Health that the dining rooms were high risk environments for the residents of the Apartments. We continue to grieve the loss of life that happened as a result of that COVID outbreak.

We are very cognizant of the staff resources required to manage an outbreak and keep the rest of the seniors who live in the apartment safe. We developed cohorted teams of staff, moving 4 staff full-time to cohort in Terrace West and then in Pavilion. In order to allocate these staff to one building, we had to hire coverage for the other work that they did previously. All of this takes logistics and management. The demands and the responsibilities are heavy for the leadership. We continue to feel the impact of our Manager of Community Enrichment resigning her position after working 28 straight days during the Terrace East outbreak.

Our team will meet with hopefulness and understanding of the desire that residents have to “go back to normal”. We share that desire.

Thank you for your patience as we carefully plan for safe and meaningful dining experiences for those who call Menno Apartments their home. We will continue to keep you informed about these decisions. We will send out a memo about this to residents tomorrow.

Please send any input you have to Leonard.Klassen@MennoPlace.ca (Life Enrichment Coordinator).

PAVILION FLU SHOT CLINIC – NOVEMBER 23

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Memo will be delivered on Monday, November 20

PAVILION FLU SHOT CLINIC – November 23

Dear Residents,

The flu shot will be available on Tuesday, November 23rd for all Pavilion residents who would like to have one.  We will come to your apartment suite to get you. The clinic will take place in the dining room.

These times are estimated:

  • 9:30am – 1st floor
  • 10 am – 2nd floor
  • 11 am – 3rd floor

Here’s what you need to do to get your flu shot:

  • Wear a short-sleeved shirt.
  • Have photo ID ready to show.
  • Wait in your apartment. Staff will come and get you when it’s time to come down to the dining room to get your shot.
  • We will start at 9:30am and expect the clinic to run throughout the day.
  • When you get to the clinic we’ll have a consent form ready for you to sign.

If you do not want to get a flu shot, just let the staff member know when they come to your door.

Thank you for being patient with us as we get these vaccinations done!

PAVILION RESIDENTS: OFF ENHANCED MONITORING! – November 20, 2021

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COVID UPDATE – November 20, 2021 – Pavilion OFF Enhanced Monitoring

We are pleased to announce that Pavilion has been declared OFF Enhanced Monitoring by Public Health.

Residents may return to normal activities, including having social vaccinated visitors, going out for activities and visiting with each other.

As always, our lives now have layers of safety to protect ourselves from getting COVID:

  1. Wear a mask in all common areas of Pavilion and anywhere in the public including when you go to church
  2. Follow Public Health Orders, including the specific orders for Fraser Valley East: CLICK TO READ
  3. Exercise caution when you are visiting with people outside of your immediate bubble – wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart, use hand sanitizer
  4. Hand hygiene – carry hand sanitizer with you and use it every time you touch a “common” area such as elevator buttons, hand railings, door knobs, grocery cart
  5. Social distance – we continue to use the 6 foot distance to protect ourselves from the unintended droplets that are imperceptible from others when they speak, etc.  – Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus. Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from other people. Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

We will provide information to you about returning to the dining room next week.

If you are fully vaccinated PLUS have the booster shot do you need to practice layers of safety? Yes. This is a time to be cautious as the prevalence of COVID is high in our community. There are several churches in Abbotsford that unintentionally became a place of COVID spread. You can read about Clearbrook MB Church’s experience here – READ HERE

As an elderly person, your risks for severe illness with COVID-19 are higher. If you have other health issues, this compounds the risk for you. With vaccination and a medical mask covering nose and mouth (available in the foyer), you have effective layers of protection to keep you safe when you are among others.

Should you wash the medical masks and re-use them? No. These masks are intended for single-use. They are provided to you at no cost through Menno Place. It is more important to protect yourself than to save money. If you wash them, you reduce their effectiveness and increase your risk of contracting COVID.

Thanks for all you do to keep yourself and others safe!

————–

NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 0

TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 2 (2 residents PAVILION | 0 staff)

MOST RECENT COVID CASE = November 4, 2021

TERRACE EAST – FLU SHOT CLINIC ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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Memo delivered to TE residents:

TERRACE EAST FLU SHOT CLINIC

Dear Residents,

The flu shot will be available on Thursday, November 18th for all Terrace East residents who would like to have one. The shots will be given in the dining room.

Here’s what you need to do to get your flu shot:

  • Wear a short-sleeved shirt.
  • Bring your photo ID with you.
  • Wait in your apartment. Staff will come and get you when it’s time to come down to the dining room to get your shot.
  • We will start at 9:30am and expect the clinic to run throughout the day.
  • When you get to the clinic we’ll have a consent form ready for you to sign.

If you do not want to get a flu shot, just let the staff member know when they come to your door.

Lunch will be served to all residents in their apartments on Thursday. Thank you for being patient with us as we get these vaccinations done!

November 15, 2021 – PAVILION (IL) COVID EXPOSURE – No new COVID positives

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COVID UPDATE – November 15, 2021 – Pavilion COVID exposure

NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 0

TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 2 (2 residents PAVILION | 0 staff)

MOST RECENT COVID CASE = November 4, 2021

Public Health had a meeting with the Medical Health Officer today to let us know that:

  1. Pavilion will continue on Enhanced Monitoring until Nov. 19th at midnight – this date will change if there are any new symptomatic or positive residents
  2. We will continue with enhanced cleaning, PPE audits, cohorting our staff to only Pavilion, 2x daily wellness checks and screening incoming visitors
  3. The dining room will be opened on a new schedule AFTER November 19th – details to be announced
  4. All residents in suites 201-214 are off droplet precautions! Isolation carts will be removed
  5. Social visits are allowed again for fully vaccinated visitors
  6. We do not need to do another point prevalence testing (PPT) for all residents and staff (YAY!)
  7. Our team will continue daily calls with Public Health to report the monitoring that we are doing for symptoms and the results of our audits

As we move forward through the winter season, we now have a much clearer picture of how a COVID outbreak or COVID Enhanced Cleaning impacts the lives of residents in the apartments. In this case, the first COVID positive in Pavilion was reported on October 22, 2021. This is a full month ago. Every life of every resident was impacted and all of the staff were pulled together to provide the required support. As you connect with your loved one, please emphasize the vigilance that is needed to protect their lives and the lives of everyone who shares their apartment building home. This includes mask wearing when they are with anyone who is not a VERY close and trusted person in their life; using hand sanitizer at every touch point like doors, elevator buttons and railings; avoiding situations where others are not practicing all the layers of protection (a church environment where people are unmasked); and practicing social distancing of 6 feet from others.

We are grateful that there has been no loss of life in this Pavilion COVID Exposure. We are grateful that COVID didn’t spread widely through the apartment building as it has in other settings. We are grateful for the dedicated staff who work tirelessly in a COVID exposure environment to protect those who live in the apartment building.

We thank you all for your support and cooperation. A month is a very long time to live with restrictions. We are grateful that we didn’t have greater transmission which would have escalated this exposure to an outbreak. An outbreak requires most, if not all, of the residents to be isolated for a minimum of 2 weeks. Some of the residents in Pavilion and Terrace West experienced this extended isolation and it is extremely difficult.

Thank you for all you are doing to help your loved one stay safe – and to the residents for the efforts they are making to avoid situations that could expose them to COVID.

Contact Dan Janzen at 604-851-1350 with any questions.