Social Visits – What changes on Monday July 19th?

Dear visitors of residents at Menno Home, Menno Hospital and Terrace East: EFFECTIVE MONDAY JULY 19, 2021

July 8th, 2021, marked an important and exciting change for residents and visitors of long-term Care and Seniors Assisted Living homes with the announcement of changes in visiting programs for British Columbia.

As of July 19, 2021, Social Visits will follow these guidelines:

  • Visits no longer need to be pre-booked (except for evening visits in order to arrange screening)
  • Indoor social visits will no longer be limited to two adults and one child
  • Visitors will be asked to show proof of vaccination status. Menno Place will retain this information to provide to public health if needed
  • Visitors will continue to be screened for signs of illness, including a temperature check on arrival
  • Visitors will still need to provide contact tracing information
  • No Social visits will be allowed if the care home is on “outbreak” or “enhanced monitoring”
  • Visits will still take place primarily in the resident room or apartment suite
  • Visitors will continue to socially distance (6ft from others) and use effective hand hygiene
  • “Outings” (where the resident leaves the enclosed unit/building) must be arranged with the nurse and use the sign-out/sign-in protocol
  • Assisted Living outings – use the sign-out/sign-in book when going on an outing
  • Outdoor group gatherings (7 days per week) can be booked for Home and Hospital by calling Reception.
  • Visitors will wear a medical grade mask (supplied by Menno Place) while moving through the building and common areas
    • Fully vaccinated visitors may remove their masks once in direct contact with the resident they are visiting or when outdoors
    • A visitor will be considered fully vaccinated when at least 14 days passed since receiving their 2nd dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
    • Non-fully vaccinated visitors, or those unable to provide vaccination status, are required to wear a mask throughout their visit, both indoors and outdoors

What are the best hours for visiting?

  • 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (7 DAYS A WEEK – A VISITATION HOST WILL GREET AND SCREEN YOU)
  • 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (7 DAYS A WEEK – PLEASE CALL AHEAD TO RECEPTION IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT A STAFF MEMBER IS AVAILABLE TO GREET YOU)
  • If you would like to book prior to 10am, please call the nurse.

We are pleased to let you know that the Menno Place Team has facilitated:

  • 2,560 Messages of Love (March 2020 – July 2021)
  • 4,575 Zoom Calls (March 2020 – July 14, 2021)
  • 2,369 Safe Visits (August 1, 2020 – April 1, 2021)
  • 6,356 Booked Social Visits (April 1 – July 14, 2021)

15,860 TOTAL facilitated connections during COVID pandemic

We are committed to continuing to provide meaningful and safe visiting opportunities for each resident; however, each resident will have different needs for length of visits or number of visitors at one time. Please be mindful of resident’s preferences when planning your visit and length of stay.

As we adjust to the new processes, and the anticipated influx of visitors, we ask for your patience. In particular, our Visitation Hosts will need extra time to screen visitors and to confirm vaccination status. During peak visiting times, line-ups may be expected. Thank you for your understanding.

For questions or comments, please contact Garry Janzen, Life Enrichment Coordinator – 604.851.1332 during regular office hours, Monday-Friday 8:30am – 4:00pm.

Please note: The Visitation Policy is subject to change in conjunction with the Fraser Health Authority and Ministry of Health Guidelines.


Frequently Asked Questions:

  1. Can I visit with all of the members of my congregation / clients? No. You may visit with one resident only per screening. You cannot go from unit to unit or from apartment suite to apartment suite.
  2. What precautions should I take if I’m visiting someone who has not been vaccinated? Consider visiting via Zoom. You should wear a mask to keep them as safe as possible. Practice social distancing and hand hygiene.
  3. Can I visit my loved one in their room and then take them out for a walk? In order to leave the unit / apartment building, you need to speak with the nurse and follow all sign-out/sign-in protocol.
  4. What about the variant? There may be additional infection prevention protocols needed as Public Health assesses the risks for the most vulnerable population, the elderly.
  5. What if I don’t want to report or provide evidence of my vaccination status to you? You will follow the same guidelines as visitors who are not fully vaccinated.
  6. What kind of evidence do you need of my vaccination status? Bring your vaccination card or your online BC Mobile Card – CLICK HERE
  7. Will the staff be wearing masks? The staff continue with the infection control protocols that have been in place throughout the COVID pandemic, including wearing masks and goggles in resident spaces.
  8. What changes for essential visitors? There is no change to the essential visitor program.

Phone Numbers:

Menno Home Reception: 604.853.2411

Menno Hospital Reception: 604.859.7631

Terrace East Reception: 604.851.4004

Garry Janzen, Life Enrichment Coordinator: 604.851.1332

July 8, 2021 – Update to Visitation Restrictions in Assisted Living and Long-Term Care

Easing of Restrictions on Visits to Long-Term Care and Assisted Living residents

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health has announced the easing of visitation restrictions effective July 19, 2021.
Menno Place Covid Response Team will be meeting to put a plan into place for Menno Home, Menno Hospital and Terrace East.
Here is the link to today’s announcement:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0124-001331

Here is a power point presentation about the updates, prepared by the Ministry of Health.
https://bccare.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PPT-Easing-of-LTC-Visitor-Restriction-8-July-2021_FINAL.pdf

Ron Willms – Director of Finance

Welcome to Ron Willms, Director of Finance

Kathrin McMath – Newly appointed Chief Operating Officer

Congratulations to Kathrin McMath!

Newly appointed as Chief Operating Officer.

Kathrin has served 12 years with Menno Place, as both Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of Finance and Operation.

Kathrin’s skills and capabilities are evident to all who work closely with her. We are grateful to have her provide an expanded leadership for the Menno Place Team.

Menno Place is seeking a Director of Finance to join our team.

BEST NEWS EVER – MENNO HOME E2 OUTBREAK DECLARED OVER!

COVID Update – January 23, 2021

BEST NEWS EVER!

Menno Home E2 is officially declared OFF of outbreak!!!!
Tell the E2 Staff how much you appreciate them! https://mennoplacelife.com/encourage-frontline/ We are so sorry for the losses brought by this COVID-19 outbreak. The 13 residents who succumbed to COVID are not forgotten. We are grieving. We are also so grateful that the outbreak was contained to only one unit.
We thank God that it is OVER!
We await word from Fraser Health on how the STEP-DOWN process will be rolled out.
Please fill out the above form and thank KAREN BIGGS, CEO and KIM SCOTT, Infection Control Lead and Director of Care.
Thank the whole team – they gave it their all – and it was a battle. We think of the 25 staff and 42 residents who battled this virus in their own bodies – and wish them a complete recovery.
Thank you, families, for your amazing support throughout the outbreak – you have faced the fear of this virus all the while without seeing your loved one. E2 Families – THANK YOU.
And now hug the people you can – and let yourself breathe a little lighter.
We did this together and we did the best we could.
Well done, TEAM!
It is OVER!

Menno Place – COVID Impact in Long-Term Care

Menno Place – COVID Impact in Long-Term Care

Reported: January 9, 2021

Menno Home – 196 residents

Menno Home is awaiting vaccination.

Menno Home E1

  • 0 cases COVID positive

Menno Home E2

Declared on outbreak November 17, 2020

  • 42/45 residents COVID positive
  • 12 staff COVID positive
  • 12 deaths

Menno Home W1

COVID exposure – December 15, 2020
Off isolation – January 7, 2021

  • 1/44 residents COVID positive
  • 0 staff COVID positive
  • 1 death

Menno Home W2

COVID exposure – January 3, 2021

  • 0 residents COVID positive
  • 1 staff COVID positive
  • 0 deaths

Menno Hospital – 151 residents

Menno Hospital residents were vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech Dec. 31, 2020

Menno Hospital E1

Droplet precaution required – November 25, 2020
Off droplet precaution December 9, 2020

  • 0 residents COVID positive
  • 1 staff COVID positive
  • 0 deaths

Menno Hospital E2

Droplet precaution required – November 25, 2020
Off droplet precaution December 9, 2020

  • 0 residents COVID positive
  • 1 staff COVID positive
  • 0 deaths

Menno Hospital W2

Droplet precaution required – November 28, 2020
Off droplet precaution December 9, 2020

  • 0 residents COVID positive
  • 0 staff COVID positive
  • 0 deaths

Note: There is no Menno Hospital W1 unit

 

Encourage the Frontline Workers

The Best Christmas Present for 2020 – Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for our Residents!

The Best Christmas Present for 2020 – Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for our Residents!

We are beyond excited to let you know that Fraser Health called us this afternoon to let us know that all residents of Menno Home and Menno Hospital (long-term care) will be provided with the MODERNA COVID-19 vaccination.

We are working with our pharmacy, Rexall, to organize the details of storage and the team to provide the vaccinations. The great news is that this vaccine can be brought to our residents and they do not need to be moved off campus in order to get this vaccine (unlike the Pfizer vaccine that had to be stored at -70C).

All primary contacts will be contacted for consent for their loved one to receive the vaccine when it becomes available. All residents will be screened for allergies and sensitivities to ensure that there is not a contraindication for anyone. This vaccine has not, yet, been approved by Health Canada. It will arrive 24 – 48 hours after regulatory approval.

Menno Place will, with Fraser Health and other long-term care homes make our plans with the assumption that the Moderna vaccine will be made available.

As we move forward, we will advocate for all the seniors who live at Menno Place (Assisted Living and Independent Living) to qualify for this vaccine.

We continue to send our staff for vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine. We are sending 65 staff per day to the vaccination clinic. Pearl Nucich, our Executive Assistant has done an exceptional job in pulling together this administrative task! Our staff are eager to have and bring this safety to their lives and to Menno Place residents.

We are grateful. We are hopeful. We are so very thankful for your support throughout this extraordinarily difficult pandemic. An end is in sight for our loved ones living in care!
We are so happy for all of you who have loved ones living in long-term care here at Menno Place!