Mother’s Day Flowers – Frequently Asked Questions

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Every year on Mother’s Day our campus is flooded with beautiful floral arrangements that bring joy to residents (and staff!) all over Menno Place. If you’re thinking about gifting flowers this year we wanted to remind you of a couple of guidelines.

Bringing Flowers When You Visit

You are more than welcome to bring flowers with you when you visit. Here are some guidelines that will ensure that your bouquet is on display for your loved one:

  • Do not bring scented flowers – this includes lilies. Some of our residents and staff are highly allergic to scented flowers.
  • Ensure that you have a vase to keep the flowers in as we do not have these on hand.

Having Flowers Delivered

Our preferred florist for deliveries is Buckets Fresh Flower Market in Abbotsford. The team at Buckets is familiar with our campus layout and can find the right drop-off location on our large campus.

Buckets Fresh Flower Market

Do you want to ensure that they are delivered to your loved one by Mother’s Day?
We recommend you arrange to have the flowers delivered the Friday before Mother’s Day.  This beats the rush and gives our staff the time to get your arrangement to your loved one!

Will staff assist in delivery of floral arrangements?
Staff will deliver floral arrangements to residents in Menno Home, Menno Hospital and Terrace East. In Primrose Gardens, Terrace West and the Pavilion apartment buildings, delivery must be done directly to the resident. There are no staff available to help with delivery on the weekend.

Guidelines when ordering:

  • Please do not send “scented” flowers – this includes lilies. Some of our residents and staff are highly allergic to scented flowers. Keeping them out of the buildings keeps everyone safe.
  • All flowers must be delivered in a container/ vase. Do not send “loose” flowers in paper that need to be transferred.
  • Potted plants must be delivered directly to the resident’s room or suite.

What address should I use for delivery of the flowers?
Be specific – this will help the florist delivery to easily find the right building and ensure delivery. Do not send to “Menno Place” as this will cause confusion for the delivery.

Resident Name: Full Name
Location: Choose from the locations and addresses listed below
Room # or Suite: If you know their specific location

Staff assistance with delivery:

Menno Home (24/7 Nursing Care – Long-Term Care)
32910 Brundige Ave
Abbotsford, BC V2S 1N2

Menno Hospital (24/7 Nursing Care – Long-Term Care)
32945 Marshall Rd
Abbotsford, BC V2S 1K1

Terrace East (Assisted Living)
2021 Primrose Street
Abbotsford, BC V2S 2Y9

Deliver directly to resident or Apartment suite:

Primrose Gardens (Independent Living)
2099 Primrose Street
Abbotsford, BC V2S 0E1

Terrace West (Independent Living)
32979 Marshall Rd
Abbotsford, BC V2S 8H4

Pavilion (Independent Living)
32943 Marshall Rd
Abbotsford, BC V2S 1J8

 

Save the Date: Butterfly Release

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Menno Place’s annual Memorial and Butterfly Release will take place on Friday, June 14th.  Mark your calendars and join us as we remember and celebrate the ones we love who are no longer here with us. Information about how to purchase a butterfly will be available in the coming weeks along with further details about the event, parking, and more.

We hope to see you there!

SAFER Grant Information

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Recently, BC Housing’s SAFER Grant has been in the news. SAFER stands for “Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters.” It is a grant available for eligible seniors who are renters in the province of BC. If you live in Pavilion, Terrace West, Primrose Gardens, or Terrace East (private pay assisted living only), you may qualify. This grant is not available for residents in Long-Term Care (Menno Home, Menno Hospital) as they already receive government subsidy.

All information can be found at BC Housing’s SAFER website (Click here)

If you are over the age of 60, have lived in BC for at least 12 months, and spend more than 30% of your monthly income on rent, you should consider applying. Please note that your income must be below the maximum threshold (which was just announced as increasing to approximately $3,000/month). An estimate calculator and application forms are available online.

NOTE: When using the calculator enter your MONTHLY income, not your annual income.

The SAFER Grant is completely independent of Menno Place. All applications must be directly submitted by the tenant, and there is no obligation to inform Menno Place of whether you are receiving this grant. If you are unsure of any specific information about your rental, please contact a member of the Life Enrichment Team.

If you feel you may be eligible, we encourage you to apply.

The BC government also recently announced a one-time additional payment for all current recipients of the SAFER Grant. This was followed up with a reminder that BC Housing will never invite recipients to claim this benefit via a text message. Remember to be careful with your personal information.

National Volunteer Appreciation Week – Every Moment Matters!

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It’s National Volunteer Appreciation Week and we want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the amazing volunteers who give of their time and their hearts here at Menno Place.

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Time to Install Air Conditioners in the Apartments

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Warmer weather is just around the corner and it’s time to think about air conditioners.  The common areas of each apartment building – the dining rooms, hallways and lounges – are air conditioned, but the individual apartments are not. Please note that this applies to Pavilion, Primrose Gardens, Terrace East and Terrace West only. We are not able to install individual air conditioners in Menno Home or Menno Hospital.

Residents who want air conditioning in their apartment must provide their own portable air conditioning unit. Please note the following process for getting your air conditioner installed. (If you want to purchase an air conditioner unit you’ll find the details below.)

  1. We are asking every resident to contact the Life Enrichment Team by April 22nd to let us know YES or NO regarding wanting an air conditioner installed.
  2. If YES, we need you to sign the work request at the front desk as the installation has a $36 fee.
  3. If NO, we still need you to inform us to ensure that no one gets missed.
  4. Once you have signed up, please ensure that your air conditioning unit (along with the extension cord) is in your suite, unboxed, ready to install by April 29th.

Installations are scheduled to begin on April 29th. Our plan is to complete this project by Mother’s Day (May 12th weekend); we’ll do our best. To ensure we get this done, please sign-up by April 22nd with the Life Enrichment Team.

Removals are tentatively scheduled for after Thanksgiving (approximately mid-October). We will communicate our disconnect plans closer to the date.

Any requests for installations received after April 22nd will be processed when our maintenance team has time.

Please note the following important information:

  1. Only PORTABLE A/C units are permitted in the suites. These are the type that vent through a hose; in-window units are not permitted.
  2. Only high-efficiency units up to 8000 BTUs are permitted. Large amperage/BTU units (greater than 11 amps/8000 BTUs) will trip the breakers.
  3. Menno’s Maintenance Team MUST install the units in each suite. The annual installation fee is $36.00 and includes removal of the unit after the hot season. We ask that units are removed during the winter months due to building envelope management.
  4. Residents must provide a 3-prong extension cord (minimum length of 6’). It must be rated for at least 11amps. 
  5. The A/C unit must be unboxed and in suite with extension cord when request is made to Life Enrichment Team for installation.

Please contact the Life Enrichment Team at 604-851-4004 with any questions.

Respiratory Season Ends – Masks No Longer Required

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The province of BC has announced the end of respiratory season and the launch of the spring COVID-19 vaccine booster campaign.  With decreased rates of respiratory disease across the province, BC is ceasing the additional infection prevention and control measures implemented in September 2023.

This means that visitors to residents who live in Long-Term Care and Assisted Living buildings are no longer required to wear masks.

Beginning Monday, April 8, 2024:

  • Masking is no longer required by staff and visitors in common resident areas.
  • Active screening of visitors is not required

As always, we ask visitors to please stay home if you are ill or are experiencing any respiratory symptoms.

Thank you for working with us these past months by wearing a mask and checking in with the visitation hosts to help keep our residents safe.

Fire Equipment Testing – April 2024

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Technicians will be coming to test the fire equipment in each of the buildings the week of April 15 – 19. For residents in the apartments a technician will need to enter each apartment. The technician  will be accompanied by a Menno Place staff member and all residents will receive notice, in writing, in advance of the testing. Residents do not need to do anything during the test and are able to stay in their apartment while the test takes place.

Please note these tests will cause the fire alarms to sound briefly. They may also cause the fire panels to beep. The bells will turn on and off very quickly. In the event of an actual fire alarm the bells would sound and keep ringing.

Each day that the technicians are here they will begin around 8am and work their way through each building floor by floor. We are not able to predict when they will reach each room. For the apartments the testing usually lasts most of the day.

The schedule for 2024 is:

  • Pavilion – Monday, April 15, 2024
  • Terrace West – Tuesday, April 16, 2024
  • Primrose Gardens – Wednesday, April 17, 2024
  • Menno Home – Thursday, April 18, 2024
  • Menno Hospital – Friday, April 19, 2024

Terrace East will be tested at a later date.

If you have any questions for Menno Home and Menno Hospital please contact Garry Janzen (Garry.Janzen@mennoplace.ca). For the apartments please contact Leonard Klassen (Leonard.Klassen@mennoplace.ca) .

Listening for the Future – We Want to Hear from You!

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If you have ideas to share as we plan for 2025 please fill out this survey.

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Hymn Stories – April 2024

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This poem, written by an Irish woman named Jean Sophia Pigott, became the favorite hymn of J. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China. Find out how the hymn Jesus, I am Resting, Resting helped strengthen the faith of an overwhelmed man near breakdown.

Click to listen.

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Join Us for Easter Services – Menno Hospital Chapel

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As we get ready to celebrate Easter weekend residents, family, and friends are invited to join us for Easter Services happening on campus in the Menno Hospital chapel.

Residents in Long-Term Care:

Residents who are able to get themselves to the chapel are welcome to do so. Residents who require assistance will need a friend or family member to porter them to the chapel. We are not able to offer staff portering at this time. Residents can be brought to the chapel up to 30 minutes before the service begins.

Volunteers Needed! Not every resident who needs assistance has family members or friends who are available to help. If you would like to help bring residents to the chapel please contact one of the Menno Place chaplains – Andy (Andy.Capesinio@mennoplace.ca), Ann (Ann.Thakker@mennoplace.ca) or Kerry (Kerry.Dyck@mennoplace.ca).

For residents in the Apartments:

To get to the Menno Hospital Chapel go out through the main doors of Terrace West and follow the sidewalk around to the right to get the main doors of Menno Hospital. Once inside the lobby the elevator will be right in front of you. Take the elevator to the second floor and turn left. Take the first right to cross over the walkway and into the chapel. There will be people around to help direct you.

For apartments residents who need assistance there will be a shuttle bus to and from both the Good Friday service and the Easter Sunday service.

On Good Friday the bus will pick up from Primrose Gardens at 9:25, Terrace West at 9:35 and Pavilion at 9:45.

On Easter Sunday the bus will pick up from Primrose Gardens at 1:25, Terrace West at 1:35 and Pavilion at 1:45.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3