Guest Suites are Reopening November 1st!

We are pleased to announce that effective November 1st, three Guest Suites will again be available to reserve for families/guests of Menno Place residents. There is one guest suite in Primrose Gardens, one in Terrace West and one in the Pavilion. Rates and booking information can be found below.

There are a few important details for you to note:

  • All bookings are made with Angela at Reception – 604.851.4000
  • Until November 15th, reservations for the Christmas Season (Dec 1st – Jan 7th) will be available only to residents of the building in which the Guest Suite is located. After November 15th, any available suite can be booked.
  • Please contact Reception if you h ave any questions regarding the Guest Suites.

We ask for your patience as we are reopening our Guest Suites. We are glad to offer this service to you, and we will address any hiccups as we go along and learn the booking system. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Leonard Klassen, Interim Manager of Independent & Supportive Living (604.851.4006).

Guest Suite Descriptions and Rates

There are three guest suites available on campus for bookings. Rates are inclusive of all taxes/fees, including parking.  Occupancy Limits may be adjusted depending on age of children (if applicable). A 1-night stay surcharge of $40 will be added to stays less than 2 nights.


Pavilion (Suite 222) – Bachelor Suite
2023 Rate:   $90/night
Occupancy Limit:   4

Full Kitchen (no dishwasher), Dishes, Dining Table w/ 2 chairs, Queen Bed, Pull Out Bed, Futon/Couch, TV, Individual coffee pot, toaster, microwave, Full Bath w/ tub, Portable Fan


Terrace West (Suite 102) – Bachelor Suite
2023 Rate:   $90/night
Occupancy Limit:   2

Queen Bed, Couch, TV, Small Desk/Table w/ chair, Full Bath w/ tub, Individual Coffee Pot, Patio, Fan, bar fridge, microwave (NO full kitchen)


Primrose Gardens (Suite 211) – 1 Bedroom Suite
2023 Rate:   $125/night
Occupancy Limit:   4

Queen Deluxe bed, Pull out Couch, Bathroom w/ Shower, Full Kitchen (no dishwasher), Dishes, Small Dining Table w/ 2 chairs, Individual Coffee Pot, Kettle, Toaster, Microwave, 2 Portable Fans

Join us for tea! Celebrating 70 years of care at Menno Place

You’re invited!

For 70 years Menno Place has provided hope, dignity, and compassion to more than 25,000 seniors in Abbotsford.  Secure in that legacy of care now it’s time to build for the generations to come.

Please join us as we celebrate 70 years of trusted care with a tea reception on Thursday, November 23, 2023. Come and go from 1pm – 3pm in the Menno Hospital Chapel (32945 Marshall Road, complimentary parking).

At Menno Place it’s not just about a bed, food, and medical care. It’s about the incredible staff, volunteers, and donors who make it possible for our 700 residents to live their best lives.

Come join us as we celebrate this milestone and look forward to another 70 years of compassionate Christian care for the seniors in our community.

Reserve your free ticket at Eventbrite:

Menno Place Celebrates 70 Years! from Menno Place on Vimeo.

Concerts in Care – Oct 25th

The next Concert in Care is Oct 25 at 10:30in the Menno Hospital chapel featuring Domagoj Ivanovic on violin and Karen Lee-Morlang on piano. All are welcome to join us.

Current 2023 Protocols for Respiratory Illness

Current 2023 protocols are now in place. Please note that these are updated from when we were in the COVID pandemic.

Showing care and concern for each other is our overarching approach.

The procedures vary depending on which apartment building you live in.

Staff are required to wear medical masks in common resident areas of all buildings.

Medical masks are optional for residents who have NO symptoms.

Visitors are asked to wear medical masks in all common areas (masks are available at the front entrances of each building).

 

 

As we stated at the beginning, showing care and concern for each other is our overarching approach. Let’s all do our part to avoid spreading illness. Thank you for your commitment to doing your part in following our protocols.

Smitha Varghese, Interim Manager of Assisted Living (604.851.1337)
Leonard Klassen, Interim Manager of Independent and Supportive Living (604.851.4006)

Shake Out Earthquake Drill – Thurs October 19, 2023

Menno Place will practice our earthquake preparedness safety drill  – the Great British Columbia ShakeOut – on Thursday, October 19th at 10:19am! DROP, COVER AND HOLD ON. All staff and residents at Menno Place will be participating with practice drills.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On when the earth shakes.

Taking the proper actions, such as “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”, can save lives and reduce the risk of injury. Everyone, everywhere, should learn and practice what to do during an earthquake, whether at home, work, school or traveling.

If you’re at Menno Place on Oct 19th, please prepare to participate in this drill.

At 10:19am you will hear an announcement: “Earthquake drill STOP, DROP, COVER, HOLD ON”

  • You are required, if safe to do so, stop current activity, drop to the floor and take cover under a table or desk.
  • You should count out loud for the duration of the simulated earthquake. This will help keep you focused and calm, as well as providing an indication of how long shaking can last.
  • When the shaking portion of the drill stops, stay in place and count to 60, giving displaced objects a chance to settle.

Some education tips:

  • Residents in beds, recliners, wheelchairs should not be transferred until after the shaking stops. Stay put. Cover your head and neck with your arms or a pillow until the shaking stops.
  • Wheelchair users: lock the wheels, cover your head and neck.
  • A safe place for residents who cannot drop is next to an inside wall away from moving/falling objects
  • Do not use doorways

For those who use adaptive equipment:

 

Upcoming Vaccine Clinics at Menno Apartments

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting vaccine clinics (both Flu and Covid) in each of our Menno Apartments buildings.

Pavilion – Thursday, November 2nd
Primrose Gardens – Friday, November 3rd

Beginning today, a questionnaire will be circulated to each tenant offering them the opportunity to sign up for vaccination. Each tenant can make their choice about both the Covid vaccine and the Flu vaccine. Please follow up with your loved one if they may have difficulty completing the form. Forms can be handed in to reception or put in the suggestion boxes located in each building.

If you have any questions, please contact reception at 604-851-4000.

Leonard Klassen,
Interim Manager of Independent & Supportive Living

Hymn Stories – October 2023

The writer of Count Your Blessings, Rev. Johnson Oatman Jr., was one of the important and prolific gospel song writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Find out more about this gospel song!

Click to listen.

Concert in Care – September 27

The next Concert in Care is happening Sept 27 in the Menno Hospital chapel featuring Julie Begg on clarinet and Karen Lee-Morlang on piano. All are welcome to join us.

COVID, FLU OR COLD – Protocols for Visitors

The population of Menno Place residents is among the most frail and vulnerable in our communities. The elderly may experience COVID, flu or colds with more severity and even life-threatening outcomes than those who are younger and healthier. When they contract a contagious illness, they will be put into isolation in order to reduce the risk of spread to others living and working in our care home.

Visiting a care home when you have COVID, flu or cold symptoms exposes many people to the possibility of contracting these illnesses. This includes our residents and staff. Our staff work hard to stay healthy and will be more successful if they are not exposed to any of these contagious illnesses. Your commitment to refraining from visiting (with symptoms) is essential to keeping both residents and staff safe.

What to do if you have symptoms of COVID, Flu or Cold

  1. Postpone your visit to your loved one.
  2. Be prepared for the upcoming COVID, Flu or Cold season by having COVID rapid tests in your home BEFORE you have symptoms.
    Pick up a box of tests FREE from any pharmacy.

If you have any of these symptoms, take a COVID test:

  • fever or chills
  • cough
  • shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • fatigue
  • muscle or body ache
  • headache
  • new loss of taste or smell
  • sore throat
  • congestion or runny nose
  • diarrhea
  • nausea or vomiting

POSITIVE COVID TEST

If the test is positive for COVID, you may not to visit at Menno Place for FIVE days. You may return on the SIXTH day after your positive COVID test if you are symptom-free.

NEGATIVE COVID TEST

If the test is negative for COVID, seek a medical opinion. Consider how you manage other illnesses that you do not get tested for like cold and flu. Stay home if you are feeling unwell and resume your regular activities, such as work, when you feel you are able to manage them. If you have a fever you should stay home until it is gone without medication.

NEGATIVE COVID TEST + INCREASING SYMPTOMS

If the test is negative AND your symptoms are getting WORSE, test again for COVID.

Do not visit at Menno Place until you are able to manage the symptoms. To be safest, do not visit until you are symptom-free. If you have a fever, you should stay home until it is gone without medication.

 

Welcome to Pooja – Executive Director of Care Services

From: Sujata Connors, CEO
To: Menno Place Team
Re: Executive Director of Care Services

Please join me in welcoming our newest team member: Dr. Pooja Mishra!

Pooja will be joining us Tuesday, September 5th as the Executive Director responsible for Long Term Care and Assisted Living. Working in dyad partnership with Dr. Ken Dueck, she will join the executive team in expanding our relationships with key stakeholders and leading clinical strategies to support resident and family centred care and aging in place.

Pooja is driven by her passion for helping and healing people. Over the last 20 years her career has focused on the care of seniors and vulnerable populations.  Pooja started her healthcare journey in India where she graduated from medical school and completed a residency in ENT surgery from a large multispecialty hospital. After a decade of practicing as a physician, she pursued and completed her postgraduate education in hospital administration. She used this education to broaden her healthcare leadership experience by working in different care settings such as primary care, ambulatory care, and community services.

Pooja comes to us with significant skills in continuous quality improvement, team building, collaboration, and negotiation.  Over the past seven years, she has been leading community programs like home health, home support, and palliative care in Canada.  She has led large teams and collaborated with multiple stakeholders to implement person and family centred care in community programs. Most recently she worked as the Director for palliative care, cancer care and the general internal medicine clinic at Richmond Hospital.

Pooja lives in Delta with her husband and two teenage kids (son 17, daughter 15). During her free time she can be found gardening, long distance running, and swimming.

Pooja sent the following message to be shared with the team:

“I am eager to join the team and be part of this tight knit community. I look forward to working with all of you and learning from all of you. I hope that over the course of a few weeks after I join, I get a chance to meet you all in person. Meanwhile, if you would like to connect with me please feel free to reach out Pooja.Mishra@mennoplace.ca.”

We are excited to see Pooja apply her experience and first-class education to support Menno Place in reaching our goals.  She will be located in the MBS corporate office space, so be sure to drop by and say hello!