Menno Place in the News – Hiring Family as Temporary Workers

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On November 17, 2020, Menno Home received the first positive COVID-19 test result. It was a resident. After 8 months of vigilant work to keep this virus out of our seniors campus of care, we began to see the impact of this virus. As more residents and staff became infected, it was evident that we would need to find more staff to support the increased needs and protocols – and to fill the gaps for staff who were pending results or found to be COVID-19 positive.

During the outbreak, staff is assigned to work on only one unit. A housekeeper may normally clean one unit in the morning and another in the afternoon. Now, they can’t go to the second unit, so we need extra hands on deck to carry out essential services like housekeeping, laundry and food services.

On November 28th, we asked families and close friends to apply for a temporary employee position as a Temporary Multi-Skilled Worker. This would enable the family members who deeply care to come into the building, provide assistance and safely see their loved one.

More than 50 family members have applied to do this additional supportive work. The first two Temporary Multi-Skilled Workers begin their work on December 3, 2020.

You can read or view news about this here:

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CTV News

COVID-19 OUTBREAK UPDATE: NOVEMBER 29

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COVID-19 Update at Menno Place. On November 25th, one staff member at Menno Hospital was confirmed as COVID-19 positive. Menno Hospital is a 151 bed long-term care home. Two of the units were impacted. All staff and residents have been swabbed. All results returned are negative. Menno Hospital is on droplet precaution which means that full PPE is used and all residents are in isolation. Please pray for the residents and staff of Menno Hospital.
On November 17th, one resident was identified as COVID-19 positive in Menno Home E2. Today, there is a total of 12 COVID-19 positive cases – 2 staff and 10 residents. Please pray for the residents and staff of Menno Home. This week, the staff from Menno Home E2 who tested negative will be returning from their 2 week quarantine period to continue their work in Menno Home. It has been challenging to fill all of their positions while they were away on quarantine.
The source of these two COVID-19 outbreaks are unrelated as the positive staff member at Menno Hospital was not connected to Menno Home.
We have started a Family Essential Service Worker program in Menno Home to provide essential care through family members who we know are committed to the safety and care of their loved ones who live in Menno Home.
Our frontline workers could use some encouragement as they face these two outbreaks. Please CLICK HERE to give them the energy of support that comes from this amazing community of Abbotsford.

Encourage the Frontline Workers

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THREE COVID Positive Residents at Menno Home

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A third COVID positive resident was identified this morning. This resident also resides in Menno Home E2.

 

Two COVID-19 positive residents at Menno Home

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We are sad to share with you that in spite of all the hard work we have done for the past 8 months, on  November 17th, a COVID-19 positive result came back for one (1) resident in Menno Home E2.

A second COVID-19 positive resident in Menno Home E2 was identified on November 18th.

We are in close communication with Public Health and our Medical Director.

Families and Friends of Menno Place residents are encouraged to subscribe to the Family and Friends email newsletter and to the Family and Friends Facebook Group for updates.

We are confident in the strength and skill of our staff, God’s protection and the vigilance of infection control protocols which we continue to practice and audit.

To subscribe to the newsletter, send an email to Connect@MennoPlace.ca

Seniors Advocate Survey

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Staying Apart to Stay Safe: The Impact of Visitor Restrictions on Long-term Care and Assisted Living Survey​

The Seniors Advocate of British Columbia has launched a survey to capture the effect that COVID-19 visitor restrictions have had on those who are living in Long Term Care (Menno Home & Hospital) and Assisted Living (Terrace East) and their loved ones.

The survey is open until September 30th and there are several ways for you to participate. Please view the invitation from the Office of the Seniors Advocate of BC HERE.

Or go directly to www.carehomevisits.ca to see how you can fill out the survey online, via mail or phone.

NOTE: This survey is only for residents and family members of MENNO HOME, MENNO HOSPITAL and TERRACE EAST.

MEMO: PG, TW & TE Isolation Period Lifted Sunday, Aug 30

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Menno Place Memo

To: All Residents, Staff & Families of Menno Place
Re: Primrose Gardens, Terrace West & Terrace East Self-Isolation Period Lifted Sunday, August 30th, 2020
Date: Saturday, August 29, 2020

As of Saturday, August 29th, NO residents of Primrose Gardens and Terrace West Independent Living Apartments and Terrace East Assisted Living Apartments have tested positive or are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. 

The self isolation period for these residents will be lifted on Sunday, August 30th, 2020 at 9:00am. 

  • Residents are permitted to leave their suites and go outdoors if they are feeling well.
  • Masks must be worn in indoor public spaces, and outdoors if a physical distance of 6 feet cannot be maintained. Residents, family and friends are no longer required to wear a mask outdoors on the Menno Place campus as long as they remain 6 feet apart. 
  • Registered Visitors of Primrose Gardens and Terrace West may resume their visits and deliveries as before. Indoor masks and hand hygiene required. 
  • Residents of Primrose Gardens, Terrace West & Terrace East may resume walks to Mill Lake, shopping, appointments, and short visits to family members’ homes as before. Masks must be worn and a physical distance of 6 feet must be maintained. Any gatherings off campus may not be larger than 50 people. We encourage residents not to attend large gatherings if possible. 
  • Meals in the dining room will resume next week. Invitations will be issued as before. 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

  • Your safe, physically distanced outdoor visit on the Menno Place campus is a no-touch visit. No holding hands, shaking hands, back rubbing, hugging, kissing, or touching. 
  • Every visitor is expected to practice hand hygiene. You should bring your own hand sanitizer with you so that you can clean your hands before and after your visit with your loved one.
  • Only Registered Visitors may enter the apartment buildings. You must wear your ID badge to enter. There are NO visitors inside Terrace East. If a visitor needs to use the restroom, there is a porta-potty available near Terrace East at the Living Waters Garden. You must hand-sanitize after use.
  • Residents: If you are going off of the Menno Place campus, keep yourself safe. Avoid crowds and practice hand hygiene. Always bring a mask and a personal sized hand sanitizer with you. Minimize the number of indoor events you go to each week (once per week is a reasonable number). Keep a physical distance of 6 feet between you and others. Sharing car rides should only be done with masks on. 
  • Continue to Self-Screen and report any symptoms to staff immediately:

Self-Screening Questions

Do you have new onset of any of these symptoms:

Fever Sore throat or painful swallowing Muscle aches
Cough Loss of sense of smell Fatigue
Shortness of breath Loss of sense of taste Nausea and/or vomiting
Headache Loss of appetite Diarrhea
Chills Runny nose

Do you have any of these risk factors?

Been in close contact with anyone diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or anyone who has been to the US in the past two weeks?
Been advised to self-isolate or quarantine at home by public health or a medical doctor/nurse?
Been in hospital for more than 12 hours?

Thank you for your patience and compliance during this self isolation period. If you have any questions, please contact Manager of Community Enrichment for Menno Place Apartments, Cheryl Dawes, at cheryl.dawes@mennoplace.ca or 604-851-4020.

All other protocols for Pavilion Independent Living and Long Term Care in Menno Home & Hospital remain unchanged.

Karen Biggs
CEO, Menno Place 

P.S. Have you found our Family & Friends website? For information and updates, go to: www.MennoPlaceLife.com

For information and discussion with others whose loved one lives at Menno Place, please ask to join the Menno Place Family & Friends Facebook Group.

UPDATE: Isolation Period for Primrose Gardens, Terrace West & Terrace East

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Menno Place Memo
To: All Residents, Staff & Families of Menno Place
Re: UPDATE: COVID-19 Exposure in Primrose Gardens & Terrace West Independent Living Apartments
Date: Monday, August 24th, 2020 1:30pm 

On Friday, August 21st, Menno Place notified residents, family, and friends of a COVID-19 exposure in Primrose Gardens and Terrace West Independent Living Apartments. Read the Aug. 21 Memo here. 

The exposed residents and their families have all been contacted and advised. Residents were swabbed on Saturday and all results have come back negative for COVID-19. We are cautiously optimistic as false negatives are possible among the elderly. We are monitoring symptoms and the situation closely. 

Thank you for your prayerful support and for honouring our request to halt visits and deliveries on the Menno Place campus over the weekend. 

At this time, we are asking ALL residents of Primrose Gardens, Terrace West AND Terrace East to abide by an isolation period until the morning of August 30th. 

This means:

  • Staying in your apartment.
  • Meals will be delivered to your apartment. 
  • All hair appointments have been cancelled. 

As Terrace East Assisted Living Apartments are connected to Terrace West Independent Living Apartments, we are asking those residents to also abide by this isolation period out of an abundance of caution. 

Residents of Primrose Gardens, Terrace West, and Terrace East may continue to go to important medical appointments off-campus. 

Registered Visitors of Primrose Gardens, Terrace West, and Terrace East must refrain from visiting or making deliveries to the campus until the morning of August 30th unless absolutely necessary. 

Families and friends of residents in these facilities must wait until the morning of August 30th to resume outdoor visits. 

To make arrangements for essential medical appointments, please contact Manager of Community Enrichment for Menno Place Apartments, Cheryl Dawes, at cheryl.dawes@mennoplace.ca or 604-851-4020. Essential grocery deliveries can be made with the receptionists. 

Pavilion Independent Living residents may continue to have registered visitors and outdoor visits. Menno Home and Hospital Safe Social Visits will also continue as before. 

We are grateful for the many messages of encouragement (like this one) that we received over the weekend:

“Thank you so much for all your careful work during these challenging times. I am praying for you. I have complete confidence that you are doing everything possible to keep the residents safe.”

Thank you for your cooperation and love for the residents and staff of Menno Place. We will continue to send necessary updates to the situation. 

Karen Biggs
CEO, Menno Place 

Have you found our Family & Friends website? For information and updates, go to: www.MennoPlaceLife.com

For information and discussion with others whose loved one lives at Menno Place, please ask to join the Menno Place Family & Friends Facebook Group.

 

FAQ’s:

How do I make essential grocery deliveries to my loved one until August 30th?

Essential grocery deliveries can be made 9am to 11:30am 7 days a week (on weekends, a phone number for dietary staff is posted on the outside door. Call and the dietary team will come to receive the groceries from you). Please remember to keep groceries “essential” until August 30th as to not overrun the receptionists. Primrose Garden grocery deliveries can be made at the main door with Brenda. Terrace East and Terrace West deliveries can be made at the Terrace East main door with Claire. If you use Save On or another grocery delivery service, deliveries also need to be during the hours mentioned above. Deliveries for Terrace East & West have to be made at the Terrace East main entrance.

 

My loved one lives in the Terrace East Assisted Living Apartments. If there was no COVID-19 exposure in Terrace East, why are they being asked to abide by the isolation period until the morning of August 30th? 

Out of an abundance of caution. The Terrace East building is connected to Terrace West. 

 

When will the rotating dining room schedule resume in Primrose Gardens, Terrace West and Terrace East?

Meals in the dining rooms in these buildings will resume after August 30th if there is no change to the situation. Residents will receive their invitations as before. 

 

I have a Safe Social Visit booked with my loved one in Menno Home or Hospital. Should I reschedule my visit until after August 30th?

There has been no exposure to residents in Menno Home or Hospital. The Safe Social Visit sites are also in separate buildings from the exposure. You may keep your appointment if you are comfortable doing so.

If it is more than 24 hours before your appointment, you can reschedule quickly and easily by clicking on the ‘Change/Cancel’ button at the bottom of your appointment confirmation email. Please keep in mind that Safe Social Visits are on a rotating schedule through our units, and it may be several weeks until a time slot for your loved one’s unit becomes available again.

If you would like to cancel or reschedule and it is less than 24 hours before your appointment, please contact Life Enrichment Coordinator, Garry Janzen at garry.janzen@mennoplace.ca or 604-851-1332.

 

My loved one does not live in the exposed buildings. Why are you notifying me?

Out of an abundance of caution. It is important to us that you are aware of all COVID-19 related news.

MEMO: Fraser Health Home Support Worker Tests Positive for COVID-19

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Menno Place Memo

To: All Residents, Staff & Families of Menno Place
Re: Use an Abundance of Caution on Campus — Fraser Health Home Support Worker Tests Positive for COVID-19
Date: Friday, August 21, 2020 6:30pm

On Friday, August 21st, 2020 Menno Place was notified that a Fraser Health Home Support Worker tested positive for COVID-19.

The individual has worked in both Primrose Gardens and Terrace West Independent Living Apartments within the last two weeks. Public Health has NOT declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Menno Place.

There is no cause for alarm at this time. We are informing you out of an abundance of caution. NO Menno Place staff or residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at this time. 

Over the weekend, we encourage residents of Primrose Gardens and Terrace West to stay in their suites as much as possible, to wear masks whenever they are in indoor or outdoor public spaces, and to continue to wash or sanitize their hands regularly.

Meals will go back to being served in the apartment suites, and all hair appointments will be cancelled.

We ask that Registered Visitors of Primrose Gardens and Terrace West refrain from visiting or making deliveries to the campus this weekend unless absolutely necessary. Security will be on the premises to remind visitors.

We hope to have an update for you on Monday, August 24 or if Public Health advises us differently. Let’s continue to do as Dr. Henry asks and be kind, be calm, and be safe.

Karen Biggs
CEO, Menno Place

Have you found our Family & Friends website? For information and updates, go to: www.MennoPlaceLife.com

For information and discussion with others whose loved one lives at Menno Place, please ask to join the Menno Place Family & Friends Facebook Group.

 

*UPDATE* The residents who may have been exposed (and their families) have already been notified.