How will you know if Menno Place has COVID-19 and other FAQs

Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

How will I know if Menno Place has a positive case of COVID-19?

• We will let you know through www.Twitter.com/MennoPlaceAlert. These alerts are pushed out to multiple websites. Family and Friends can see these tweets on this page: www.MennoPlaceLife.com/Coronavirus
• You will receive an email as well. We are committed to telling you where a COVID-19 positive case is on the Menno Place campus, including building and unit.

Can I visit my loved one through their window or their balcony?

• Yes. Be safe yourself and practice social distancing (6 ft) with those in your group. We have seen families come to wish their loved one a Happy Birthday or to bring encouragement. If your loved one lives in Home or Hospital, you may need the help of the nursing staff to transport them to a window or balcony. You can phone and ask for assistance. Please be patient with the team. They continue to provide nursing care, hygiene and comfort to residents and may not be able to bring your loved one immediately. At this time, we have no volunteers in our buildings (we usually have 250 that help with transporting) to help meet these requests. Thank you for your patience)

Can I bring paska (much-loved delicious sweet Easter bread) to my loved one?

• No. It’s going to be the strangest Easter without this special bread. When you ask this question, we see how much you care for your loved one. It is extremely difficult on our staff to turn you down. We are limiting the number of items that come into our buildings.

When will the Zoom calls with loved ones start? (Home and Hospital)

• We are starting the Zoom calls (video calls) with Home and Hospital residents on Tuesday or Wednesday this week. We have done the testing and are ready to roll it out. At this time, we are only providing this in Home and Hospital.

Why no Zoom calls in the Apartments?

• Recreation staff are interviewing every resident (one-by-one) and asking them if this is something they want or need. Most are in contact with their families by phone. Home and Hospital residents are less connected by phone. Some are unable to initiate a call or request a call without our support. These are first priority.

Are you screening the staff for COVID-19?

• Yes. Active Screening is done at the beginning and end of every shift.

What is your response plan if a staff member or residents tests positive for COVID-19?

• Our COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN is outlined on multiple websites, including on the Family and Friends site – Click here.

Is the tuck cart (Apartments) going to bring groceries to my loved one?

• Recreation staff are interviewing everyone who does NOT have a Registered Visitor. We have identified 51 residents in the Apartments who do not have someone who provides them with essential deliveries. These residents will be first to order from the tuck cart.

Why are you asking staff to wear goggles and masks?

• This is an order from Fraser Health.

Why are you asking Registered Visitors (Apartments) and residents (Apartments) to wear masks?

• When Worthington Cottage (1.6 kms from Menno Place) had a COVID-19 positive resident, we felt that an abundance of caution will be beneficial for our residents. Knowing that COVID-19 is this close was one of the activators of this policy. The other was hearing Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam say that masks can help stop the spread of COVID-19 (April 6, 2020). We want to do everything in our power to maximize the safety of our residents.

Should I provide a mask to my loved one in Terrace East Assisted Living?

• Yes. Because Terrace East is locked down (No Visitors) and the staff are all practicing infection control protocols (hand hygiene, active COVID-19 screening, wearing masks and goggles) the residents are at less risk than in the other Apartments where there are still multiple visitors, both Registered Visitors (committed to infection control protocols) and Personal Care Staff (Fraser Health Home Health and private care – both committed to infection control protocols).
• We recommend that a resident wears a mask every time they exit their apartment. They need to continue with hand-hygiene – washing hands before re-entering their apartment.

Can I make masks and donate them?

Are my Messages of Love being delivered? My loved one can’t remember, so I don’t know.

• Yes. We may not be able to deliver the day that you send them, but are committed to getting them to your loved one. This is done by Recreation staff and Chaplains. We have received and delivered over 700 Messages of Love in 3 weeks!

Are your staff working at other care homes and possibly bringing coronavirus to Menno Place?

• No. We moved to single-site requirement on April 3. We consider Menno Place one site, so staff may work in Home, Hospital or Apartments – or a combination of these. They must shower and change clothing between buildings.

What are your PPE supplies like? Do you have enough? (masks, goggles, gloves, gowns, foot covers)

• We have been working on procurement of more PPE since January. We did not have enough goggles for every one of our staff to wear goggles at all times. We sent out a request to the community and had over 450 pairs of goggles donated. We don’t normally use non-medical grade equipment, so this is a different time. We accepted goggles that are used in construction or science labs. Our PPE was handed out to our staff during the April 5th week. Staff are asked to wear their mask multiple times. This is not ideal, but it is in line with the guidelines for using PPE when there is a shortage. We have PPE in storage if we have a COVID-19 positive resident. As you can expect, the amount of PPE required at that time will be significantly higher than what we need currently without an outbreak. We will go through the PPE quickly. We use a PPE-Burn-Rate calculator to determine the amount of PPE required. We are conserving so that we have PPE when it is needed most. We are allowing staff to wear non-medical masks at this time as we do not have COVID-19 and the staff are screened for symptoms at the start and end of every shift. This conserves our supply of medical masks. This will immediately change if there is a COVID-19 positive result.