October 18, 2021 – TERRACE EAST (AL) OFF OUTBREAK – STEP-DOWN PHASE 2

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COVID UPDATE – October 18, 2021 – Terrace East OFF Outbreak

At midnight on Monday, October 18th, Terrace East is officially off of Step-Down Phase 2!

Congratulations to all of the residents and staff who kept each other safe in a very difficult time at Terrace East.

Social visits resume inside Terrace East. Please enter only by the front entrance of the building, preferred visiting time is between 10am and 6pm. Visitors must show evidence of full vaccination as ordered by the Provincial Health Officer. Please bring your Vaccination Card (QR code) and government issued photo ID for verification. Medical masks provided by the Visitation Host are mandatory. Only visit with your loved one in their apartment suite in order to keep others safe. Residents may resume going outside, enjoying walks and Mill Lake.

This is a time for caution as the prevalence of COVID continues to be high in our community. Please encourage your loved one to wear a mask at all times when they are with others. If they attend a church service, encourage them to wear a mask, use hand sanitizer and remain 6 feet away from others regardless of the practice of their individual church. These protocols are for their own protection.

We will not be resuming dining in Terrace East for another week while we put in place a plan that will keep residents safe as they socialize. Our Fraser Health Outbreak Response Lead provided feedback on our  initial dining room plan and is supportive of the social aspects and the social distancing. Terrace East residents, staff and visitors are all fully vaccinated.

Thank you to everyone for your vigilance and care during this outbreak. We remember the 4 residents who succumbed to COVID and pray for the recovery of 1 resident who remains in hospital. We express our condolences to the families who lost a loved one and pray for the resident in hospital.

In addition, there is an outbreak at Terrace West. There is no walk-through between these buildings. Four residents are COVID positive, two of whom are in hospital. Please pray for these residents and their families as they navigate difficult decisions related to health and medical treatment.

Thank you – and be safe!

NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 0

TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 9 (9 residents TE / 0 staff)

MOST RECENT COVID POSTIVE: September 27, 2021

PASSED AWAY OCT 6/21/21: 1 (T=4 residents TE)

October 18, 2021 – TERRACE WEST (IL) OUTBREAK – New COVID positive = 1 (T=4)

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COVID UPDATE – October 18, 2021 – Terrace West Outbreak

NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 1

TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 4 (4 residents TW | 0 staff)

MOST RECENT COVID CASE = October 16 (test date)

Two residents are in hospital from Terrace West. Please pray for their recovery.

There is also a resident from Terrace East who contracted COVID and continues the battle in the hospital as well. Please pray for this resident as well.

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We continue to put all the safety measures in place for the residents of Terrace West. All of the staff who worked in the building or served the residents in the dining room have been swabbed for COVID. There are no positive staff, several results are still outstanding. The residents who were with a COVID positive resident as well as the ones who are in close proximity (on the same floor) were swabbed. One test result was returned as COVID positive.

For the residents on isolation, we have phoned the primary contact from the family and offered Essential Visitor designation to continue supporting them as they wait out their time on isolation. Essential visitors must be fully vaccinated. There are no social visitors permitted in the building.

Thank you for your encouragement and support. As a family member, the biggest support you can provide for your loved one is to encourage them to follow all the layers of protection. Please ask them if they have any new or worsening symptoms and report those to our Manager – 604.851.4020.

Moving forward, we will make changes to the dining room experience in all of our apartments to include a greater distance between diners for this winter season. The residents in Terrace West will be dining in the Bistro that is just at the entrance to the apartment building. We will making some changes to the furniture and look forward to a time when this outbreak is over and we begin to enjoy each other’s company in this way again.

Here are some articles you may be interested in as you follow the various aspects of this COVID outbreak:

What are the COVID symptoms to ask my loved one?

What is Point Prevalence Testing – and why?

October 16, 2021 – TERRACE WEST (IL) OUTBREAK – COVID positive = 3

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COVID UPDATE – October 16, 2021 – Terrace West Called on Outbreak

NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 0

TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 3 (3 residents TW | 0 staff)

MOST RECENT COVID CASE = October 13

One is in hospital. Please pray for his recovery.

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This morning, the mobile COVID testing team from Fraser Health came to swab the residents who were identified by Public Health as requiring swabbing (see memo below). Leonard Klassen, Sharon Simpson and Trish Giesbrecht provided the support to bring residents to the bistro for the COVID swab. The team was very efficient and had the swabs completed by 10am! Results will be given to the residents by Public Health. Families, please report these results to Leonard Klassen – 604.851.4006 or to Reception: 604.851.4004. If you have your loved one’s date of birth and personal health number, you can check results by going to this link: https://results.bccdc.ca/

It was very meaningful to us to hear the resident’s express their gratitude for the onsite swabbing and the care for their safety that we are providing for them by following the Provincial Health Orders. There were many good conversations and plenty of laughs as we navigated the morning. Staff who worked in Terrace West are getting swabbed at the community site.

We now have a Fraser Health staff member who is working each day from 10am – 6pm who will be delivering the morning snack, the lunch and will be doing the wellness check each day. The wellness check is asking each resident if they have any symptoms on the COVID symptom list.

We will likely have another point-prevalence testing in 7 days. Please note that there is now a gargle option available for residents. They cannot have any food or drink for 60 minutes prior to the test. We will add this to a memo to the residents in the coming week.

The memo, below, outlines the expectations of visitors and essential visitors as we move forward in this outbreak. If you are concerned about your loved one, please phone Trish Giesbrecht, 604.851.4020. She will discuss essential visitor designation with you. Cheryl Dawes is on vacation for another week. Please pray for her as she recuperates from her daily work during both the TE and TW outbreaks.

Thank you for the calls and letters of support. We are grateful for your encouragement and grateful to be of service.
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This memo was handed out to the residents yesterday at the end of the day.
 
MEMO
Date: October 15, 2021
To: Terrace West (IL) Residents re: Terrace West on Outbreak
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We are sorry to inform you that there are three Terrace West residents diagnosed with COVID-19. The Terrace West apartment building has been declared on Outbreak. This means that there are specific enhanced infection control protocols that need to be followed to ensure that COVID does not spread further.

What does it mean for those on isolation? All residents who were in contact with a COVID positive resident have already been placed on isolation and are being tested for COVID. They must continue to isolate (no leaving the apartment suite) and wait for direction from the Public Health Officer. They have a cart outside their apartment door and anyone entering must wear full personal protective equipment.

Residents on 2nd and 4th floors – All residents on these floors will be tested for COVID on Saturday, October 16th. We will notify you when it is your turn to come down to the Bistro for your COVID swab. These residents are not on isolation at this time.

Additional residents to receive COVID testing – In addition, residents who were in proximity to a COVID positive resident will be tested for COVID. You will be notified by Menno Place if you are to be tested. These residents are not on isolation at this time.

What about those who are not on isolation? If you are not on isolation, you are asked to follow all enhanced infection control protocols wearing a mask when you are with anyone else, practicing hand hygiene, staying in your suite as much as possible and staying 6 feet apart from others. Don’t visit in each other’s apartment suites. This also means answering a wellness check, twice a day asking if you have any COVID symptoms. Your noon meal will be delivered to your apartment suite.

What about visitors? Only essential visitors may enter this apartment building or your suite. The Medical Health Officer has to approve anyone to be an essential visitor. The process for application and approval is to phone Trish Giesbrecht, Nurse Manager to explain the situation – 604.851.4020. Loved ones can enter the foyer to drop-off essential items such as groceries to you.

Essential Support Services: If you receive home support services to assist you with activities of daily living (getting ready in the morning or night, showering, medicine) from Fraser Health, carry on as usual. If another organization provides you services, please notify Reception (604.851.4004) to ensure they are permitted entry. No unvaccinated service providers permitted.

Can residents who are not isolated go out? Yes. You may leave the apartment building. This includes walks around the Menno Place campus or going out with a loved one. It also includes medical appointments. We are advising you not to go to public places or where groups gather. This includes avoiding grocery stores, the shopping mall and church services. This virus is very contagious and the elderly are the most vulnerable to it. Use all your layers of protection: mask, hand washing, 6 feet distance.

October 14, 2021 – TERRACE WEST (IL) OUTBREAK – COVID positive = 3

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COVID UPDATE – October 14, 2021 – Terrace West Called on Outbreak

NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 3

TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 3 (3 residents TW | 0 staff)

MOST RECENT COVID CASE = October 13

There are three COVID positive residents of Terrace West. One is in hospital. We worked today with the team in Terrace East to put individuals who have been exposed on isolation. Meals are delivered to resident’s apartment suites. If a resident could put out a small table or chair outside of their door, the dining team would appreciate this as a place to drop off the meal. As we prepare for swabbing (2nd and 4th floor as well as all who were in close contact with a COVID positive resident), the dietary team will not be able to hand the meal to the resident. It is difficult for a resident to pick a meal up off the floor, so this request is for a surface that will make it easier for the resident to get their meal.

Please pray for the seniors as they hear about this outbreak. We will put together a Memo for them tomorrow morning. Please pray for our team as we enter another outbreak. This is a dangerous time for our seniors as the DELTA variant of the virus is so very contagious and our seniors are vulnerable to the virus.

We have only just heard of the Outbreak status. We will communicate more fully tomorrow with answers to questions that you may have, such as essential deliveries and essential medical appointments.

MEMO – TERRACE WEST RESIDENTS (IL) – October 13, 2021

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This memo was handed out to residents of Terrace West on October 13, 2021

MEMO

Date:              October 13, 2021

To:                  Terrace West Residents

Re:                 COVID EXPOSURE – TERRACE WEST

COVID EXPOSURE – TERRACE WEST

A resident of Terrace West has been identified as COVID positive. Those in contact with the resident have been swabbed for COVID and are waiting for their test results.

While we wait for the test results and direction from Public Health, the dining room will be closed.

Your meals will be delivered to your apartment suite until further notice.

You may continue to go out and have visitors in your suite. Wear a mask at all times. Use hand sanitizer frequently and wash hands with warm, soapy water often.

It is time now to reduce your contact with people – keep your circle small. Visit with others on the phone instead of in person.

This is a good time to reduce your outings to essential outings only, such as groceries or medical appointments. Choose to watch church online or on Channel 10 again.

If you do go to church, wear a mask the entire time. Stay 6 feet apart from others. The prevalence of the Delta variant of COVID is very high in our community and it is very contagious.

No unvaccinated people are permitted inside the apartment buildings, including your family members, housekeepers, service providers or friends.

Do you have any of these COVID symptoms – even mildly? Get tested for COVID and let us know: Reception: 604.851.4004

Fever or chills? Cough? Unproductive cough?
Sore throat? Runny nose? Extreme fatigue or tiredness?
Body aches? Muscle aches? Diarrhea?
Difficulty breathing? Loss of sense of smell or taste?
Loss of appetite? Headache? Nausea or vomiting?

No entrance to Menno Home E2 via E1 (Entrance B) elevator

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Menno Home E1 elevator is not accessible at this time for any visitors going to E2 Home.

All visitors must use the staircase at Entrance B to enter the building.

Partially Vaccinated Visitors – permitted until October 26, 2021

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Update for Partially Vaccinated Visitors:

Please note – there was some confusion in the direction we received with respect to when visitors must be FULLY vaccinated in order to enter our buildings. This has been clarified.
UPDATE
Partially vaccinated visitors (1 dose) may enter our buildings with a rapid test (negative) until October 26, 2021.

Staff wishing that they could also get the 3rd booster shot

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Did you see our Visitation Host, Raman on Global TV with CEO Karen Biggs?

Take a look!

Fully Vaccinated Visitors Only as Ordered by the Provincial Health Officer – Effective October 12, 2021

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To the loved ones of the residents who live at Menno Place,

Dr. Bonnie Henry announced on October 5th that unvaccinated visitors will no longer be allowed to visit in the home effective October 12, 2021.  We have limited details on this as Dr. Henry has not written her order and there is no Fraser Health guidance on this at this time.

We do know the following:

Vaccine Passport Required: Now that the vaccine passports are out, we will be asking vaccinated visitors (even those who have shown us vaccine cards or have the green badge) to show us their vaccine passport and government ID. We will then note that we have scanned the passport and will not need to ask to see the passport again.  The passport is a more reliable indicator of vaccination status than the cards.

If you have not obtained your vaccine passport yet but are fully vaccinated, we will accept your vaccination card for now and ask that you register for your vaccine passport as soon as possible.  The link to register is at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/proof

Options for unvaccinated visitors: We will work to provide some visitation options for unvaccinated visitors.  We are not sure what that will look like.  It will depend somewhat on Health Authority directions.  We may return to window visits as occurred prior to the reopening of in-person visits.

Unvaccinated visitors for palliative / end-of-life residents: Dr. Henry has stated that there will be some exceptions made for unvaccinated visitors to visit in person if a resident is near end of life.  We have no details regarding this.

Outings: We do not know if residents will be permitted to go on outings with unvaccinated visitors.

Why is this being implemented at Menno Place? This will be a Provincial Health Order when it is released and we will adhere to it across our entire Campus of Care. While we strongly support increased vaccination rates for the protection of our residents, staff and the community at large, the exclusion of unvaccinated visitors is not a Menno Place decision.

How do you voice your disagreement? If you are upset about this change, please continue to treat our Visitation Hosts, receptionists, nurses, managers, and other staff with kindness and respect.  They did not make this decision and do not deserve to be berated for it.

If you need to speak to someone about the policy and speak passionately about your views, we advise you to contact Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Provincial Health Office:

Dr. Bonnie Henry
Email: bonnie.henry@gov.bc.ca
Provincial Health Officer
PO Box 9648
STN PROV GOVT
Victoria BC V8W 9P4

You can also contact Isobel McKenzie, Seniors Advocate: https://www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca/contact-us/

 

Watch the Dr. Bonnie Henry announcement: