Dear Residents and Families,

We remain committed to providing updates to our residents, families, and staff at AgeCare. As such, 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 what we can all do to stay safe while out in the community.
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 in our community.

These updates are sent Friday each week. We hope that you find them helpful. Thank you all for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Brenda Martens
General Manager

Robin Snyder
Acting Director of Care

Staying Safe Out in the Community

It seems the Coronavirus will be with us for a while. As we prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19, and with the flu season fast approaching, we want to encourage everyone to be vigilant about the actions they are taking in their day-to-day lives.

To assist you with this here is some information and important actions you can take to prevent the spread of all germs, bacteria and viruses. Thank you for working with us to minimize the risk of exposure to your loved ones by staying healthy.

Protecting yourself protect others.

What Puts You at High Risk

All of us need to understand our risk of unknown exposure to any virus, specifically COVID-19.  Any unknown exposure increases the risk of contracting an infection and/or spreading it to others who are frail or immunocompromised. We have a social responsibility to take measures to protect ourselves and others.

Here are some things that increase your risk:

• Working or living in an area with high COVID-19 exposure.
• Working outside the home where distancing is not consistently maintained, and masking is not consistently used.
• Worked at or visited a location with a declared outbreak in the last 14 days.
• Traveled outside the province or country in the last 14 days
• Live with a larger cohort of people (15+).
• Had guests in your home in the last 14 days.
• Use public transit or carpooling where distancing is not consistently maintained, and masking is not consistently used.
• Not maintaining personal physical distancing and not wearing a mask.
• Infrequent or inconsistent hand hygiene.

We need you to stay safe so your family members and our staff can stay safe.

Continue to Protect Yourself and Those Who You Care About

There are many things you can do to lessen the risk of an unknown exposure to germs, viruses and bacteria.

You can:

• Avoid certain or busier public settings such as transit, shopping centers, spiritual/cultural settings, theatres, conferences, etc.
• Maintain the appropriate space or distance between others when in a public area.
• Avoid common greetings such as handshakes or hugs.
• Clean and disinfect your own high touch areas such as door handles, sinks, and bathrooms, etc.
• Limit unnecessary travel out of province or country.
• Perform regular health checks for yourself to ensure you are not experiencing symptoms.
• Recognize when you don’t feel well and isolate as necessary.
• If you are experiencing symptoms, complete the online self-assessment.
• Make an appointment for a swab for COVID-19.

Hand Hygiene

Performing Hand Hygiene will always be one of the best ways to prevent the spread of infections.

Hand Hygiene can be performed with the use of any hand-sanitizing product containing 60% or greater in alcohol content or good old-fashioned soap and water.

Remember the principles:

• Wash your hands often.
• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
• Wash your hands after using the washroom, before you eat, after contact with another person.
• Wash your hands any time you feel your hands may be soiled.

Refresh your knowledge and your skill on the proper way to perform Hand Hygiene (PDF)

Wearing Personal Protection Equipment

When you are visiting in our community, you will be required to wear a procedure mask continually.

If your loved one has to be in isolation, you may be required to wear a gown, gloves and eye protection.

When you are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) you will be provided with the information and education on when and where to wear it and how to put it on and take it off.

 Here are some tips to remember:

• Your mask should cover both your mouth and your nose.
• Avoid touching your mask when it is on your face.
• Use the elastics to help you put the mask on, adjust, and take it off.
• Perform hand hygiene before you put your mask on and when you take it off.
• Change your mask when it is wet or dirty.

There is a right way to put on and take off Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Follow this step by step PPE guide created for residents & families (PDF).

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.

Visit our news & events page to download our recreation calendar

Weekly Shout-Out

This week we would like to give a shout out to all of the family members and friends that have been in to visit our residents. The change in visitor restrictions in July opened up more opportunities to see each other but also brought with it a new set of challenges for everyone. We greatly appreciate the efforts made to keep everyone safe and healthy, and are truly thankful to have such a wonderful community to spend our time.

If you are interested in booking a visit to our designated indoor or outdoor visit space, please ensure to call at least 24 hours in advance. Thank you again, and we look forward to seeing everyone!