I can’t imagine how all of you must have felt as you heard the announcement from Premier Ford this past Wednesday. It has been a terribly long time that you have been out of the Home. As has been the case with many of the COVID announcements, this announcement did not allow for a significant amount of clear direction and as of 10:30am today we have still not had further clarity as to the finer details of this announcement from KFLA Public Health as well as the Ministry.
It is important for me to share with you that residents have expressed concern with people coming into the Home again. They have expressed a mixture of emotions; anticipation of seeing their family again without barriers; fear of the virus entering their Home; fear of becoming sick and a general fear of the unknown.
All those connected with JMPC have made tremendous efforts to ensure our residents, your families, our families and our Home have been free from this deadly virus. The vulnerability of our residents, your loved ones, have kept us focused and committed to this lifesaving undertaking. Life is not the same in the Home as when you were last here. Enhanced infection control processes have been put in place; Rooms have maximum occupancy signs to promote physical distancing; Dining spaces are spread out past the usual dining room spaces; all staff are wearing masks; there is one point of entry with strict screening protocols in place; and many other enhancements.
Commencing Wednesday, July 22 2020, inside visits begin. The online booking will be ready for you to utilize commencing 3pm on Monday July 20 2020. These visits will take place in MacDonald Hall (main level) only. There will be 5 visiting stations set up in this area. Please see a picture of the set up here.
Visitors (no more than 2 per visit) will need to pass the screening tool, and sign off on the required documentation and wear a mask (provided by the Home) the entire visit. ID buttons will be provided for visitors that must be worn. You will then proceed as per the directional arrows to MacDonald Hall to the designated visiting table. The visitors will be at one end of the table while the resident is at the opposite end of the table as physical distancing remains mandatory. Staff will bring the resident to you at your visiting table. These visits will be monitored and will be 45 minutes in length. The reason for this time limit is to ensure all residents have equitable access to these visits. Visitors will exit via the chapel door into the garden area. Visitors must not go beyond this visiting location.
Please Note: You will be required to provide the Home with your name and phone number should contact tracing be necessary by Public Health.
We have a Pledgethat we will have for you to sign as a commitment to all the residents and staff that you too will respect the important role you will play regarding infection control and safety protocols both inside and outside of the Home.
We were also provided with direction from the Ministry of Long Term Care that essential caregivers can return to providing the care as they had previously provided. A JMPC staff member will be reaching out to you on Tuesday regarding you resuming this role. If you do not get a call, and you wish to provide essential care, please contact Carolyn McConnell at ext 7259 on Tuesday. At this point, we do not have clear direction as to essential caregivers. We will send an updated newsletter tomorrow in hopes of obtaining clarity on this topic.
If this is your first time reading our newsletter, I would encourage you to go to this link where you will find the previous newsletters should you wish to view them.
Hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter,
Angela Malcolm
Director
COVID-19 Testing for Visitors
All visitors and caregivers coming into the Home must be swabbed within 2 weeks of each visit. You will need to call a COVID-19 assessment center to book your COVID-19 swab test and have it completed. It will take approximately 48-72 hours to obtain your results. The number for the Napanee Assessment Centre held at the Lenadco Complex (across the road from JMPC) is 613-354-8254. Other COVID assessment centers are available near you. The link to access your results for this testing is https://covid19results.ehealthontario.ca:4443/agree.The Home will require that you sign an attestation confirming you have been tested and have had a negative result in the past 2 weeks.
A visiting schedule has been set up on-line using the same link as you have been using for zoom and window visits https://www.picktime.com/JMPC. If you are unable to access this online tool, please reach out to the Home at 613 354 3306 and you will be supported in booking this visit.
Need to Cancel your Booked Visit? The booking site doesn’t have that feature to cancel yourself online unfortunately. So to cancel an appointment you can:
Contact Candice (ext 7223) or Earline (main line) by phone or email
What's New at JMPC
Menu -- Hereis the menu for this week with the following changes made:
Thursday: Roast Beef Sandwich changed to BBQ Cheeseburger for BBQ Day. An Ice Cream Cone instead of Spring Bars
Wednesday: Maple Lane AND Cedar Grove are having their Surf and Turf night. BBQ Steak, Shrimp, Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Fresh Asparagus.
Program Schedule – Here is this week’s program schedule.
Visitor ID Buttons – This will help everyone easily identify your role in the Home. With everyone wearing masks, it can become difficult knowing who is who.
Zoom Meetings, Window Visits & Garden Visits
Book yourZoom and Window and Garden Visit online using Picktime!
We ask that visits be scheduled a day ahead and that weekend requests are completed by Friday at 2pm. For zoom visits, you will receive a confirmation email first. Then, 1 day prior to your zoom visit you will receive the zoom link emailed to you from the Home.
If you have any questions please call 613-354-3306 or email Candice here. Please note that you can continue to enjoy your zoom visit along with a Garden visit or window visit. You certainly can have more than one form of connection with your loved one.
Message from the Chair of Family Council
Please feel free to reach out to Gwen if you have a question that you would like to have answered in this newsletter
This graphic illustrates the difference between a healthy brain and one with changes associated with dementia. Visualizing the physical changes in the brain can help individuals understand why a person living with dementia behaves as they do.
The A’s of Dementia:
AMNESIA
APHASIA
AGNOSIA
APRAXIA
ALTERED PERCEPTION
APATHY
ANOSOGNOSIA
ATTENTION DEFICITS
Individuals living with dementia will experience different losses, to varying degrees. The A’s of dementia represent the many losses associated with the disease. Each A represents a different loss, both cognitive and emotional.
This week, we will review AGNOSIA and the losses that accompany it. Agnosia is simply the loss of recognition, leaving a person with dementia not knowing what an object is or what it is used for. When experiencing agnosia, a person may be unable to recognize objects they see, hear, taste, touch and smell as agnosia can occur in any or all of the senses. A person may also be unable to recognize faces, even their own. You may have noticed your loved one who is struggling with this loss sitting and looking at their food or drink, not recognizing what it is. They may even place their juice into their soup and proceed to eat their napkin. Some may wash their clothes in the toilet as they may see it as a basin of water. They may not recognize themselves in the mirror and become upset with someone they perceive as being in their personal space. You may even experience your parent confusing you, their own child, for their sibling as they can no longer recognize facial differences.
It’s important to remember that a person experiencing agnosia can easily become frustrated and fearful when they’re unable to recognize people, sounds and objects. For their family or loved ones, any behaviours that may be demonstrated can appear odd, confusing, embarrassing or even hurtful. Understanding why such behaviours may be occurring can help family, friends, volunteers and care givers provide optimal support to a person experiencing agnosia as well as to themselves.
There are many simple strategies that can be used to help a person experiencing a loss of recognition or agnosia. Some strategies include:
Encourage the person by demonstrating how to pick up an object they are struggling with as they may not recognize that object by sight, but touch may help.
Use way-finding signs on doors or in hallways to help the person find their room or other important locations.
Use visual aids, such as pictures or a black seat to help a person see a toilet and know what it is used for.
Cover mirrors if the person’s reflection causes them distress.
Place food items one at a time on a plate.
Try to avoid correcting, quizzing or arguing.
Losses associated with dementia significantly impact a person’s behavioural response. For more information on loss of recognition and tips for how to cope, go to: https://www.alzheimer.ca