Resource and Support for Family Caregivers:

Subscribe to the www.familycaregiversbc.ca newsletter for:
Caregiver Connection, a quarterly newsletter full of interesting and informative articles directly related to family caregiving
Our monthly e-news, featuring upcoming events and caregiving news
Invitations to our monthly free webinars and other events
Breaking news and occasional messages, such as survey requests, from fellow caregiving organizations

Subscribe:
https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/contact-us/newsletter-subscription

Resources:
https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/for-family-caregivers

Menno Place welcomes three new chaplains this summer!

Menno Place hires three chaplains to replace our current team. Click to find out who they are!

Resident and Family-Centred Care (RFCC) + Tagline Contest

RESIDENT AND FAMILY-CENTRED CARE (RFCC)

As we have come out of the pressure of the pandemic on our residents, families and staff, we recognize that it is an opportune time to put the spotlight onto RESIDENT AND FAMILY-CENTRED CARE!

A steering committee was formed that comprised of residents, family members, staff, physicians and executive leaders. Our goal was to put the focus onto what matters most to each resident who lives and is cared for at Menno Place.

The steering committee describes Resident and Family-Centred Care (RFCC) this way:

Resident and family-centred care at Menno Place starts with asking our residents and their families, “What matters to you?”

We focus on respectful engagement, collaboration and communication so we can help each resident achieve their best days possible.

As you read this definition, here are some ways to think about how it applies at Menno Place:

  • The definition starts with and ends with our residents. Without residents at Menno Place, there is no reason to exist. They are the centre. It is for our residents that we do all that we do – from maintenance to administration and all that comes between.
  • The definition begins with our action and initiative. It is the responsibility of the staff and leadership of Menno Place to ensure that we keep the spotlight on providing RFCC.
  • The definition shares the easily remembered, simple question that will initiate an RFCC focus with a resident or family member – “What matters to you?”
  • The definition includes the 3 primary ways we engage in RFCC: respectful engagement, collaboration and communication.

For generations, Menno Place has provided trusted, compassionate care for the elderly in the Abbotsford community. As the philosophy of caring for the elderly has transitioned from a medical/institutional model to an individual/homelike model, it is appropriate for Menno Place to, once again, put the spotlight on our fundamental value of caring deeply and specifically for EACH individual resident while including their family.

We are excited to include you, the residents and families as the center of our spotlight.

  1. Does the definition (above) do a good job of describing how we aspire to connect with all residents and their families here at Menno Place?
  2. Are you the type of person who can condense this definition even further into a tagline? We are running a tagline contest between July 11th and July 20th. Enter your tagline and you could win a $150 gift certificate for a local Abbotsford restaurant!

The COVID pandemic has been difficult on residents, their families and our staff. We are only now getting some time to “breathe” and reflect on all that happened during this time. One thing that was VERY CLEAR to us is that our residents are WELL LOVED. This became apparent through the many, many ways you advocated for your loved ones. This knowledge of the love and advocacy for elders gives us both opportunity to reflect and to listen. This is our goal as we put the spotlight onto Resident and Family-Centred Care.

Thank you, once again, for all the ways you LOVE the people who call Menno Place their home. Blessings to you.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE TAGLINE CONTEST:
https://mennoplacelife.com/rfcc-tagline-contest-entry-form/#form

Watch Memorial Livestream & Butterfly Release 2022

Join Menno Place in honouring the precious lives of those who’ve passed away between September 1, 2021 – May 31, 2022.

June 10th, 2022

Memorial Livestream | Watch Recording 

Menno Place honours the lives of those who have passed away between September 1, 2021 – May 31, 2022.

Butterfly Release Livestream | Watch Recording 

Menno Place releases butterflies to remember our loved ones who have passed – or to enjoy the beauty of the butterfly.

 

Memorial Livestream & Butterfly Release 2022 #2

Join Menno Place in honouring the precious lives of those who’ve passed away between September 1, 2021 – May 31, 2022.

June 10th, 2022

Memorial Livestream | 2 pm

Butterfly Release Livestream | 3pm

The Menno Place Remembers Memorial Service will be led by our chaplains, Ingrid Schultz, John Dyck, and Ingrid Stahl. The service will be livestreamed across campus and here on our website. Due to continued Covid restrictions, the Butterfly Release program will also be livestreamed.

We hope you will join us for these virtual events.

CLICK HERE for details on how to join us online!

Would you like to release a butterfly?

Reserve your butterfly for pick up! The first 100 people to register will be able to pick up a butterfly. One butterfly can be issued per family unit. Pick up location is Courtyard gate on June 10th from 2pm – 3pm. You may wish to release your butterfly in a quiet location on campus with your family or in memory of a loved one.

RESERVE YOUR BUTTERFLY

Reserve a butterfly for your Personal Butterfly Release

Air Conditioners at Menno Place Apartments

Summer is just around the corner and it’s time to think about air conditioners.  The common areas of each of the apartment buildings are air conditioned but the apartments are not.  Air conditioners are in stores now. If you want to buy one, don’t wait. They tend to sell out quickly.

What kind of air conditioner should you choose?

  1. Choose a portable air conditioner – one that sits on the floor and vents out the window. We are not able to install units that hang outside the window.
  2. Select a unit that is 8000 BTUs or less. Anything higher than that will trip the breakers.
  3. Menno Place’s maintenance team must do the installation to ensure it’s done correctly and safely. There is a $36.00 charge for installation which includes removal at the end of the season.
  4. If your apartment does not have a balcony/patio please check with Leonard to ensure a unit can be installed before purchasing.

How to request installation:

  1. Make sure the unit is on site, in the resident’s suite and unboxed.
  2. Provide a 3-pronged extension cord approximately 6 feet in length.
  3. Contact the receptionist in your building to request an install. The receptionist will fill out a work request and the maintenance team will attend. Air conditioner installs can usually be completed in 2-3 days.

If you order an air conditioner online please be sure to give the resident’s full address including their suite number. The unit needs to be delivered to their apartment. We have had issues in the past where delivery companies have tried to drop the units off at our warehouse which causes confusion, lost units and delays.

If you have any questions about air conditioners please contact your receptionist – Lynn for Primrose Gardens and Pavilion (604 851-4000) or Claire for Terrace East and Terrace West (604-851-4004).

Friends and Family Council Meeting – June 16 2022 – 2:30pm

On June 16, 2022, Family and Friends (Family Council) will be meeting via Microsoft TEAMS (online Video). Please click the following link to join the meeting by video, or call the number with the code beside it to call in to the meeting. It is recommended to download Microsoft TEAMS onto your device to benefit from all its features, but it not, you can still click the link and use TEAMS through your internet browser.

JUNE 16TH AT 2:30PM PST

Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Or call in (audio only)
+1 778-731-1352,,923115380# Canada, Port Moody
Phone Conference ID: 923 115 380#

Family and Friends is a regularly scheduled meeting for family members, friends or representatives of our residents in Menno Home and Menno Hospital. We will be having our Director of Community Enrichment, Sharon Simpson and Recreation/Volunteer Manager Linda Weatherly join us as our guest speakers. Sharon and Linda will be discussing their roles, as well as how families can be involved in our resident’s lives within their departments.

Family Council is a great way to connect and learn about the opportunities that are on the Menno Place campus, as well as getting to know other family members that are on a similar journey with their loved ones in long term care. We hope you will be able to join us.

Relaxing Some of the COVID Guidelines

With the recent completion of fourth dose vaccination clinics in the Apartments along with reduced COVID outbreaks and the relaxing of public health oversight in Independent Living we have started to relax some of the COVID guidelines in all four apartment buildings. This is good news as it means we can reopen some things that have been closed for a long time.

Here are the changes effective June 6, 2022:

  • Canada Post resumes service! Mail is now being delivered to each resident’s personal mailbox each day. The mailbox number is the same as the apartment number. If you have any questions, or if you need a key, please let reception know.
  • Guest meals available – You can now purchase guest meals to enjoy in your apartment with visitors. Call reception to order your meals and we will deliver them up to you. (Guests are not permitted to come into the dining room.)
  • More bus trips – We’re allowed to combine residents from different buildings on the same bus trip which means we can take more trips. This month there’s a trip to Krause Berry Farm, another to White Rock and we’re going shopping. Sign up with reception to reserve your spot.
  • More flexible dining room seating – We are no longer required to seat tenants by floor. If you would like to inquire about changing your seating assignment please contact reception. We may not be able to accommodate all requests. Unvaccinated tenants will also be welcomed back into the dining room.

Here’s what stays the same:

  • If you test positive for COVID you must isolate in your apartment. One of the LEAs (Tamara or Judith) will follow up with you.
  • All staff and visitors are still required to wear a mask in all resident areas.
  • Masks are optional for tenants.
  • Guest suites and room rentals remain closed and will stay closed all summer.

Unvaccinated Visitors Allowed in Independent Buildings

With the recent completion of  fourth dose vaccination clinics in the Apartments along with reduced COVID outbreaks and the relaxing of public health oversight in Independent Living we have started to relax some of the COVID guidelines.

Effective  June 6, 2022 unvaccinated visitors and service providers will be permitted to enter any of the independent living buildings – Terrace West, Pavilion and Primrose Gardens.

The following protocols will be in place:

  • Guests and service providers will not have to screen in upon arrival.
  • The sign in sheets will be removed.
  • Masks must still be worn in all common areas.
  • Unvaccinated guests and service providers are not permitted in Terrace East, Menno Home or Menno Hospital.
  • Unvaccinated guests who choose to park on Primrose Street will need to walk around the building to the Terrace West entrance.

If you have any questions please contact the receptionist in your building.