Dear Tabor Village Families and Friends
Approved De-Escalation Plan
It’s really nice to be able to pass on some good news to all of you! Dr. Larder, Medical Health Officer, Fraser Health has given the ok to proceed with the de-escalation plan below! The universal droplet precautions on the West Wing can also be discontinued as there have not been any new resident or staff cases for over fourteen days. If any resident becomes symptomatic, droplet precautions will be restored right away. Valhaven will continue to follow the COVID-19 Infection Control Pandemic Plan which includes the continued use of Personal Protective Equipment such as gloves, masks and eye protection.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
Kate Tate, Director, Care Services, toured me virtually through the Valhaven dining room at lunch time where staff and residents all physically distancing were enjoying time together. As I applauded the staff and gave two thumbs up and said thank you to each of them, my eyes understandably shed tears of joy. The staff and residents were beaming with the de-escalation of the outbreak infection control measures. What a blessing!
Background Information about the Outbreak at Valhaven
- Valhaven Home had their first case of COVID-19 onset of symptoms April 24, 2020, outbreak declared 25-April-2020. It is a small Facility with 26 beds and 22 residents currently.
- On April 29, all the residents and staff in the facility were swabbed for COVID
- 2 additional staff cases and 1 additional resident case were uncovered.
- There were 2 additional staff cases that worked with COVID positive residents (symptom onset: 8-May-2020 and 16-May-2020)
- May 18 most recent resident tested positive symptom onset 18-May-2020
- June 1 positive staff: symptom onset 31-May-2020 and last day worked. West Wing on droplet precautions until 14-June-2020.
- The last resident to test positive has come off isolation on: 28-May-2020
- It has been more than 14 days since the outbreak was declared and since the last resident tested positive on the unit.
- There are no new symptomatic residents/staff and no pending swabs.
Mental Health of Seniors
With the increasing concern about the mental health of older adults at Valhaven it is reassuring to know that the residents are now beginning to eat in the dining room and spend time outside as daily life returns to pre-outbreak status.
De-Escalation Plan for Valhaven
Access to outside patio area
- Area access for all residents to exit into main patio area through touch control front door-one resident at a time and for resident use only
- Enhanced cleaning to continue for all high touch areas using designated cleaner
- Hand hygiene at the front door through no touch dispenser to be administered by staff to all residents leaving and portable hand sanitizers available for all before snacks/meals etc for continuing resident hand hygiene.
- Sanitizing station at front door-gloves/masks/goggles for staff/appropriate resident use –hand hygiene and staff PPE use.
- Resident patio area very spacious and with social spacing and use of taped areas for safety could be achieved.
- Specific window visits and families make appointments to avoid open contact with resident population
- Residents have use of their own wheelchairs and no shared equipment.
Staff
- Staff to park at the back of the site and will enter through single back door through basement and screeners will set up screening station and will minimize flow through front doors.
- Hand hygiene with portable sinks in basement at back entrance so designated hand sanitizing area instead of at the front door to minimize traffic
Transporting residents outside
- RCA staff would assist with transporting residents outside/assisting with all aspects of transferring and resident hand hygiene and personal resident safety.
- It would be 1:1 and would also use Recreation Therapist to assist with some outdoor recreational activities.
- It would be calendarized and residents going outside as per room number with small amounts at about 4 residents at a time-small group.
- PPE and hand sanitizing still remains at the front door for both staff and residents to hand sanitize.
Dining
Smaller group of residents (4) at a time and can socially distance by using separate dining tables and again will calendarize to ensure that all residents rotate through dining room
Bathing
- Facility has 2 tub rooms, one on each wing
- Having residents use the tub room for showers
- Full droplet PPE for staff providing care and changed between care for residents
- Full clean of tub room between residents disinfecting all surfaces
- Residents brought to tub room with care staff ensuring they go directly from room to tub room.
- Staff would reasonably do two baths on each neighbourhood-east/west wing
- Appropriate recommended disinfectant between baths that has been approved for use with whirlpool tubs.
- It cycles and disinfects between baths and is run for whole cycle to avoid cross contamination.
COVID-19 Swab Testing
For the duration of the COVID-19 Pandemic the public health practice will be to swab test any residents/tenants and employees who are symptomatic. Since mid-March when the Pandemic was declared a Public Health Emergency, Tabor Village has regularly been testing for COVID-19 in employees and residents/tenants when they present symptoms of the virus. In addition, when the outbreak was declared at Valhaven all residents and staff members were tested. We anticipate continual testing for the foreseeable future. Testing for viruses in long term care and assisted living is not unusual nor are infection control measures. Over the past twelve months Tabor Village has experienced a number of outbreaks and the infection control measures were implemented to prevent the spread of the virus.
Annual General Meeting (AGM) Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m.
The AGM takes place Tuesday, June 16
th
at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Following the meeting, the annual report that lists the accomplishments of the 2019-20 year will be posted on the Tabor Village website as will the new strategic plan 2020-25 that forecasts the organizational priorities for the next five years. You are invited to attend the AGM on Zoom as a delegate and to become more involved in helping to shape the future of aging in the Clearbrook area of Abbotsford. If you are interested in attending please contact Miriam Bozman, Capital Campaign Administrator by email by 5:00 p.m. on June 16 at
MBozman@taborvillage.org
.
Father’s Day Concert
Join us virtually in celebrating fathers and father figures, while supporting: The Tabor Village COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. The concert features Singing Fathers, a talented group of fathers and grandfathers with decades of musical experience who are coming together to bless and uplift others in song. Their voices strong, their talent wide, and hearts even wider, as they work extra hard to bring this physically distant concert to reality for you.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
None of this happens by accident. A heartfelt thank you to all of the families for your continued support of Tabor Village and for your understanding of the importance of following the Orders from the Provincial Health Officer to ensure the risk of COVID-19 is managed. The staff greatly appreciate your efforts to follow the visitor restrictions policies and in the future when you are permitted to return to visit, we will warmly welcome you back. Your family member living at Tabor Village is thankful for your regular communication in a variety of ways: phone calls, letters, cards, emails, chat, video conferencing such as Zoom or Facetime and closed window visits. We are all in this together. The people around us matter. Thank you for everything you are doing to ensure the virus does not spread to Tabor Village.
Open Communication
In an effort to maintain open communication please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like clarification on the pandemic plan procedures at Tabor Village.
Yours sincerely,
Dan Levitt, MSc., CHE
Executive Director
604-859-8715 ext. 102
