Dear Residents and Families,
We remain committed to providing updates to our residents, families, and staff at AgeCare. We are providing weekly updates to keep you all informed on what is happening in our community and organization-wide.
These updates are sent on Friday each week. We hope that you find them helpful. Thank you all for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Cindy Kahlon,
Administrator
Outdoor Visits
At this time, based on the guidelines from Fraser Health, visitation remains restricted to Essential Visitors Only. For more information on these visits and the guidelines, we have a FAQ section on our website found at www.agecare.ca/coronavirus and click on the “British Columbia” icon.
To ensure everyone has the opportunity to schedule an outdoor essential social visit with their loved one and so we can ensure that we have the staffing in place to support, residents will be able to visit with one designated family member or friend for 30 minutes. These visits will occur in our outdoor courtyards.
You may also wish to sign up for one of our virtual visits with the resident. See below on how to book one of these sessions.
Virtual Visits
We highly encourage all our family members to take advantage of our virtual visits (phone, video, or email) options provided by our recreation team. These visits allow you to stay connected with your loved one and give the residents a much-needed sense of comfort and reassurance during this difficult time.
Virtual visits must be booked in advance to ensure staff is available to assist, and resident care needs can continue to be met. To ensure everyone has the opportunity to schedule a visit with their loved one, visits will be limited to 30-minutes.
Participate in the BC Senior Advocate’s Resident & Family Survey
As communicated last week, the Senior Advocate’s office is asking for residents and families to participate in a resident and family survey. Your insights and experiences are invaluable, and we hope you can participate in the survey.
To complete the survey, please visit the website www.carehomevisits.ca. We encourage you to complete the survey online if possible; feedback will be accepted until September 30, 2020, at 11:59 pm (PDT). If this does not work for you, here are the other options:
You can click here to read the Resident or Family letter from Isobel Mackenzie, Seniors Advocate, Province of British Columbia.
Residents living with dementia may be unaware of current events and have difficulty understanding why staff and loved ones have to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They often rely on things like body language and facial expressions to communicate, especially when their language is affected. Since masks cover a portion of your face, they may make visits more challenging.
To help reduce anxiety or confusion for residents living with dementia, and ensure you can communicate more effectively with your loved one, use these helpful tips:
The information above is courtesy of the Alzheimers Society of PEEL (Mississauga, Ontario). BSO Acute Care Team (ACT); by Caitlin Reidy, Behaviour Intervention Specialist, April 2020, MH LHIN
Do you have any activity suggestions? If so, we would love to share them. Email the AgeCare Communications Department at communications@agecare.ca.
We are happy to share that our recreation calendar is back, and many of our regular recreational activities in the community have resumed. Residents can participate in a variety of engaging activities that enrich the mind, body and spirit, while maintaining appropriate physical distancing.
Maria, our housekeeper at Harmony Court Estate, is full of energy and positivity.
We appreciate your hard work and dedication at Harmony Court.