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.

 

1. Information and announcements – this week we are sharing an important community update, how to book a virtual or outdoor visit, and tips for visiting residents with dementia.
2. Recreation calendar as the need to stay active, intellectually stimulated, and socially connected never ends.
3. A weekly shout-out to celebrate the great work and activities happening at our community.

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

 

Community Updates 

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.

• To sign-up for an essential visit, contact our Social Worker, Julie, at 604-527-3314.

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.

• To sign-up for a virtual visit, contact our Recreation Manager, Jessica, at 604-527-3328.

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 download the form seniorsadvocatebc.ca, complete a paper copy, and mail it back.
• You can call our office at 1-877-952-3181 and ask for a copy to be sent to you in the mail
• You can call our office and ask to complete the survey over the phone. A trained volunteer will book a time when it is convenient for you to complete the survey.
• If you need to complete the survey in a language other than English, you (or someone on your behalf) can phone our office, and a translator will phone you to arrange a convenient time for you to complete the survey.

You can click here to read the Resident or Family letter from Isobel Mackenzie, Seniors Advocate, Province of British Columbia.

Tips on Visiting with Residents Living with Dementia

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:

• Introduce yourself when you arrive since they may not recognize you with your mask on.
• Allow more time for your loved one to process who you are (this may take approximately 30-40 seconds).
• Be mindful of your body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.
  • Use a pleasant tone when speaking and increase your volume
  • Use eye contact and try being more animated with your eyes/eyebrows whenever possible since your full face isn’t visible.
• If your loved one has questions about PPE, provide simple answers.
• When providing emotional support:
  • Validate their feelings (e.g. “I know these masks seem a little odd”)
  • Distract them with a fun, engaging activity
  • Redirect the topic to something less stressful or confusing
• Ensure you are breathing (it sounds silly, but sometimes we forget!)
• If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a minute to ground yourself.
• Don’t forget to laugh or dance! Your happiness will be contagious to your loved one.

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.

Recreation Calendar

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.

• Harmony Court Recreation Calendars – September 2020

 

Weekly Shout-Out

Maria, our housekeeper at Harmony Court Estate, is full of energy and positivity.

We appreciate your hard work and dedication at Harmony Court.