We had a great Fall Fair last Friday with a day full of fun things going on! We started the day with Andy Forgie singing to us in the morning and then the afternoon featured 3 horses touring around the outside of the Home including a Shetland pony named Mr. Pony Pants coming right up to the windows. We had some fun COVID friendly games including balloon shoot, kernel count, veggie toss, jam tasting, etc. Kudos goes to the Activity department for all of their organization and creativity to pull this day off!
As this is Thanksgiving weekend, we are asking all families to give very serious consideration to the risks of exposure to COVID-19 should the resident be taken out to visit with extended family. Please be very mindful of where your guests are coming from, and who they have been in contact with in the past 14 days. Your loved one here at JMPC along with their peers they reside with are counting on you to make good choices and protect each other.
As a result of revised visiting policy from the Ministry of Long Term Care, we are now required to have written documentation for those selected to be Essential Caregivers. We have created a form here to facilitate this process. More on this later in the newsletter.
As a reminder, if you are not able to maintain a physical distance of 6’, you need to have a mask on. We are regularly seeing family sitting outside with their loved one without their mask on. Your mask protects your loved one while their mask protects you. Some of the residents have a very difficult time understanding or tolerating wearing a mask so it is essential that those of you visiting have your mask on covering your mouth and nose. Further, when in a vehicle where physical distancing is not possible, masks are expected.
We have had a couple of requests from family asking not to have their loved ones picture included in the family newsletter/social media platforms. We are wanting to support connections as best as we can during this pandemic but certainly do not wish to disrespect anyone’s wishes. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Candice at cmcmullen@lennox-addington.on.va should you wish this as well.
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. Should you ever not want to receive these newsletters, please follow the prompts on the newsletter at the bottom to unsubscribe.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Stay safe,
Angela Malcolm
Director
COVID-19 Testing for Visitors & Caregivers
The Napanee Assessment Centre is no longer accepting drop-ins for testing. Everyone must book an appointment.
You will need to identify yourself as an essential caregiver/visitor coming into LTC in order to be tested.
Due to the increase in demand for this service it will be very important for you to plan to allow yourself at least 6 days to ensure you maintain a current COVID test. This will be the minimum time required to allow for a return call to book your appointment, attend your appointment and then wait for the results.
Who must have a negative COVID test every 2 weeks?
All caregivers and visitors coming inside the Home
All visitors visiting outside who are not physically distanced
The link to access your results for this testing is here.
IMPORTANT
If you, or anyone in your household, (or anyone who would be
interacting with the resident while they are out), feel unwell at all,
please postpone your outing with the resident.
Perishable Items: Food being brought in for a resident must be in a container that can be wiped down with our wipes and they will then be delivered to your resident right away. All other items will be kept for 24 hours prior to being taken to the resident.
What's New at JMPC
Menu - Here is the week’s menu for Oct 12 - 18. The only change is that Lilac Knoll and Spring Meadow will be having Breakfast club on the 15th. Activation will be cooking bacon and fried eggs to order in the Home Area kitchen
Special Dinner for Thanksgiving
Roast turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots and turnip, gravy, and cranberry sauce
or pineapple baked ham with green and yellow bean, and a dinner roll.
Cranberry cheesecake or pumpkin tart for dessert.
Program Schedule - Here is the week’s program schedule commencing Oct. 11
New Essential Caregiver Designation Form – to be completed by Oct 19 2020.
We have installed an IPAD in the vestibule that plays the required infection control videos on a continuous loop should you have difficulty accessing these videos.
Mandatory Training Videos
These training videos are mandatory for you to watch prior to entering the building
A component of the Directives that the Ministry released that took effect on Sept 9 includes a mandatory requirement for Homes to ensure that Essential Caregivers coming into the Home receives training on putting on and taking off PPE as well as training on effective hand washing. Below are the 2 video clips for you to view. You will be asked to confirm at the screening table that you have watched these 2 videos prior to entering.
Here are short video clips to resources that will help you to understand how to use PPE properly and how to effectively hand wash.
This training needs to be completed prior to your first visit and then monthly thereafter.
Partnership with GIS Through the County
Has anyone checked out some of the low risk ideas suggested by our GIS Team?
“COVID–19 Friendly Ideas for Senior Community Members in L&A”
Click here and you will find low risk activities that you could do with your loved one. From walking to vehicle tours and historical interest to scenic interest…Take your pick!
Look What We've Been Doing!
Fall Colour Bus Tour on October 8, 2020
10 residents enjoyed a bus tour on the Empire Loyalist Drive route as featured in the GIS partnership above. Each resident was given a map of the route they were taking so they could follow along. They were gone for an hour so had to slightly modify their trip which took them along the South shore, Adolphustown, Bath, and downtown Napanee. They had a great time while wearing their mask and sitting in every other seat on the bus to ensure physical distancing. Perfect day for a drive today! Check out our pictures later on in the newsletter.
Essential Caregiver Designation
The Ministry of Long Term Care updated visiting policy was released Oct 5 2020 for LTC that took effect on October 7, 2020. With that comes a requirement of written documentation that supports the essential caregiver designation. As a result, we have created a PDF form here that you can open electronically and fill in the blanks. There are a couple of options to return the form to us via email or fax. Alternatively, we will have hard copies of this document available with the screeners at JMPC where you can complete and drop off to them.
We will require this form to be completed and returned to us by Oct 19. Following that date, essential caregivers who have not completed this document will need to do so prior to their visit in order to be permitted into the Home.
Should the resident/POA wish to change an essential caregiver, a new form will need to be submitted in advance.
Zoom, Window, Indoor & Garden Visits
Book yourZoom, Window, Indoor 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 or unable to access this online tool, please call 613-354-3306 and someone will help you Mon-Fri during business hours. Please note that you can continue to enjoy your zoom visit along with an inside, Garden or window visit. You certainly can have more than one form of connection with your loved one.
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:
Please be very cautious regarding multigenerational gatherings.
These type of gatherings increase the risk substantially for vulnerable individuals.
Message from the Chair of Family Council
If you haven't had time please take a min or two to send a picture of you making a heart or holding a message of thanks to be included in a staff video as soon as possible. It is a surprise and with all the stresses the staff has been under a great way to show our appreciation.
If you are feeling that you would like some additional support or have some questions that you would like to work through we would like to encourage you to access this amazing local resource. Lisa would be happy to chat with you!!