Update – Social Visits – Menno Home, Menno Hospital, Terrace East Assisted Living
Update – Social Visits – March 27, 2021 – Menno Home, Menno Hospital, Terrace East Assisted Living
Our teams did some great work to move forward with the practical steps needed to put in place the social visit changes, effective April 1, 2021.
We plan to open the new booking calendar on Tuesday, March 30th. We will announce it on our Family and Friends Facebook Page and to families through www.MennoPlaceLife.com
You can read a summary of new changes to the social visits on this webpage: https://mennoplacelife.com/social-visit/
A big change is that residents will be dining together in the dining rooms effective April 1, 2021.
You can also register on this web page to indicate that you want an email when the new booking calendar opens. We expect that it will be available on Tuesday, March 30th. Send this link (above) to anyone who wants to visit who is not currently a designated visitor.
We are excited to offer over 300 bookings per week per building in this new system. Bookings are available 7 days/week. We are recruiting to hire 2 more Visitation Hosts – more information is available on https://www.mennoplace.ca/careers/
The booking calendar will give you an entry-time when you will be screened to enter the building. You will then go to your loved one’s room or apartment to visit unsupervised, following infection control protocols.
There will be more communication coming about specific questions that you have, such as bringing in food, pets or joining your loved one in a meal.
An immediate change for Terrace East residents is that the grocery delivery to Reception will not continue after April 1, 2021. Groceries will be delivered directly to residents in their apartments by their social visitor.
There are many family members who are concerned about the safety of their loved one under these new guidelines. The staff are concerned about COVID as well. Please remember that this is a huge transition, particularly for those who have been frontline workers who have see first-hand the devastating effect of COVID and COVID isolation. Although this announcement is good news to some, it is difficult news for others.
Some of you are wondering what will happen with your current safe visit bookings – we plan to move bookings from April 1 – 8 into the new booking calendar at the same time as you are currently booked. After April 8, you’ll need to book your social visits again in the new booking calendar (opening next week).
Menno Place continues to be committed to the vigilant practice of infection control protocols within our buildings and among our residents. We are eager for residents to have this meaningful connection in a way that keeps everyone safe. It is a short time ago that we faced COVID head-on and that is something that we never want to face again. We are grateful for the respectful way you’ve connected with us throughout the past year of lockdown and COVID protocols.
Thank you, again, for how you continue to work with us for the good of your loved one. We pray that this next season of visits will be a time of immeasurable blessing for your loved one, for you and for our staff.
We are excited for you and your loved ones that you can be together, again, in this way. For many of you and our residents, it has been nearly unbearable. We look forward to seeing you next week!
COVID UPDATE – MARCH 7, 2021 – SAFE VISIT UPDATE
COVID-19 Update – March 7, 2021 – Safe Visits
Menno Home – We are pleased to announce that all Designated Visitors of Menno Home residents in E1, E2 and W1 received a phone call last week informing them that the safe visit program is once again available.
Last week was the first week of safe visits for the residents of Menno Home E2, survivors of the COVID outbreak in their unit. This was an emotional time for both families and residents with three days of visits focused on this unit.
The Safe Visit program is a government-funded program whose funding was guaranteed until March 31, 2021. Although we have not had written confirmation of continued funding, we are continuing to provide the safe visits, hiring new staff to carry on where previous Visitation Hosts are not able.
The new Visitation Hosts will begin their work April 1st. Until that time, we are grateful to three casual Visitation Hosts who are picking up shifts enabling us to offer safe visits to all of the Menno Home units in March.
The Safe Visit program continues with the same protocols and guidelines as it had prior to the outbreak and prior to vaccination. We have not heard that there will be any changes to the program.
You can read about the Safe Visit program here: https://mennoplacelife.com/safe-visits/
Menno Hospital – We are operating the Safe Visit program at capacity with many happy residents eager to visit their loved one. Menno Hospital has been using a microphone/speaker system that enables residents to more easily hear their visitor. This is such a success, we have ordered one for Menno Home as well.
Terrace East – We continue to have one Visitation Host providing Safe Visits for the Assisted Living residents in Terrace East. The demand for these visits does not fill the booking calendar, so there is opportunity for Terrace East visitors to book more visits if you would like.
W1 Home is off droplet precautions!
We are thrilled to let you know that W1 Menno Home is off droplet precautions!
Residents can come out of their rooms.
This is an exciting day! Way to go Menno Home W1 TEAM!!!
Vaccination Updates – Menno Place
Vaccination Updates – Menno Place – February 13, 2021
Menno Hospital – 2nd doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were given to the residents today.
Menno Home – We are expecting that 2nd doses of Pfizer-BioNTech will happen mid-March, but have not received confirmation of the date.
Terrace East – Assisted Living – 2nd doses of Pfizer-BioNTech will be given to residents on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. This is only for residents. Staff and any visitors who were vaccinated will need to book their 2nd dose through the Fraser Health online booking. For 2nd dose information, contact connect@mennoplace.ca
Independent Living – Primrose Gardens, Terrace West, Pavilion
EngAge BC has just received confirmation that independent living residents will receive COVID-19 vaccinations in phase two of the vaccine’s roll out (subject to supply). As such, it is expected that vaccines could begin to roll out in independent living as early as the beginning of March. This timing will coincide with the vaccination of home health employees.
FEBRUARY 1 – HOME W1 – Total new positives = 1 (T=2)
COVID POSITIVE – February 1 – 2020 – Menno Home W1
NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 1
TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 2 (0 residents / 2 staff)
We are sorry to report that there is another COVID positive for W1. This is also a staff member.
We will have a round of point-prevalence on February 4th for residents and staff – this is the baseline COVID swab testing. We will need to continue on precautions until Febraury 12th if there are no further positive results.
All residents have tested negative. 100% of the residents have received COVID vaccination on this unit.
JANUARY 29 – HOME W1 – Total new positives = 0 (T=1)
COVID POSITIVE – January 29 – 2020 – Menno Home W1
NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 0
TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 1 (0 residents / 1 staff)
All residents of W1 were given a COVID swab test. All of their tests have returned negative!
We do not have all the results of the swab from the staff at this time.
JANUARY 28 – HOME W1 – Total new positives = 1 staff (T=1)
*NEW* COVID POSITIVE – January 28 – 2020 – Menno Home W1
NEW COVID POSITIVE CASES = 1
TOTAL COVID POSITIVE CASES = 1 (0 residents / 1 staff)
We are very sad to bring you this news today. We were informed yesterday and processes have been put into place today. There is NO impact to the other units in Menno Home at this time.
NOTES:
- One staff member is COVID positive. This is unrelated to any other cases of COVID in Menno Home. This staff member was asymptomatic, but infectious during their shift on January 23/2021. We believe that this was community transmission to the staff member. After becoming symptomatic, they informed Menno Place and we informed Fraser Health.
- W1 residents have returned to droplet precautions and continue to co-hort staff.
- 100% of the residents on W1 have been immunized with the first dose of COVID-19 Pfizer/Biontech vaccine
- 95% of residents in long-term care (Home, Hospital) and Assisted Living (Terrace East) have been vaccinated. Residents who aren’t vaccinated have a variety of reasons, primarily medical conditions which increase medical risk
- 94% of our staff have been vaccinated. Staff who aren’t vaccinated have a variety of reasons: unable to take the opportunity to get vaccinated; illness that prevents vaccination; personal convictions. Vaccination for staff is not mandatory, but is encouraged for the protection of the staff and residents.
- Point-prevalence testing (COVID swab testing) for all residents and staff on W1 is taking place today.
BEST NEWS EVER – HOME E2 OUTBREAK DECLARED OVER!
COVID Update – January 23, 2021
BEST NEWS EVER!
Menno Home E2 is officially declared OFF of outbreak!!!!
Tell the E2 Staff how much you appreciate them! https://mennoplacelife.com/encourage-frontline/ We are so sorry for the losses brought by this COVID-19 outbreak. The 13 residents who succumbed to COVID are not forgotten. We are grieving. We are also so grateful that the outbreak was contained to only one unit.
We thank God that it is OVER!
We await word from Fraser Health on how the STEP-DOWN process will be rolled out.
Please fill out the above form and thank KAREN BIGGS, CEO and KIM SCOTT, Infection Control Lead and Director of Care.
Thank the whole team – they gave it their all – and it was a battle. We think of the 25 staff and 42 residents who battled this virus in their own bodies – and wish them a complete recovery.
Thank you, families, for your amazing support throughout the outbreak – you have faced the fear of this virus all the while without seeing your loved one. E2 Families – THANK YOU.
And now hug the people you can – and let yourself breathe a little lighter.
We did this together and we did the best we could.
Well done, TEAM!
It is OVER!
Home E2 – What happens after the outbreak is declared over?
Home E2 – What happens after the outbreak is declared over?
We continue to anticipate that Home E2 will have the outbreak declared over. When this happens, we will enter a Step-Down process that is a phased approach to return to activities, dining together, movement throughout the unit and safe visits.
This Phased approach continues to prioritize the safety of residents, the strict adherence to infection control protocols and the best practices of other care homes that have come off of outbreak. Phases take place over the 8 weeks following the outbreak being declared over.
We are excited that in the first phase, the unit can come off of droplet precautions!
Dining together and safe visits will be part of the 2nd phase of the Step-Down process.
Home E2 will have a Step-Down process in place that is specific to the needs of that location and in consideration of the nature of this outbreak. Fraser Health and the Medical Health Officer provide direction for us in all of these steps. Staff continue to be cohorted to work in only ONE unit.
We do not expect safe visits to begin for at least 4 more weeks depending on how the Step-Down process moves along.
If there is a COVID-19 positive of staff or resident, Home E2 will return immediately to outbreak.
We will keep you posted as we learn more about this process – and hope that this outbreak will be declared over in the next several days!