Concordia Place extra

Long Term Care (LTC) On-site Visitation during Very Low Levels of COVID-19

Across Canada, the risk that COVID-19 poses to the residents of Long Term Care (LTC) is clear. Efforts to prevent, quickly identify and contain “outbreaks” of COVID-19 continue to be vital to protecting populations that are most vulnerable to serious outcomes from this virus. We know that family and friends are integral to the overall health, well-being and quality of life of residents within LTC. Balancing necessary preventative measures with maintaining the vital connections that residents have with family members and support systems has been at the heart of every stage of our response.

While levels of COVID-19 remain very low we will be supporting visits at Concordia Place with the following considerations:

• All visitors will be screened before entry, including assessment for symptoms or known exposure to COVID-19 prior to entry. No visitor shall be permitted if they have any cold/flu or other COVID-19 symptoms;
• Restrictions apply to visitors who have travelled outside of Manitoba within the past 14 days (excluding travel to Western Canada, the Territories and Ontario west of Terrace Bay);
• All indoor visitors are required to sign in and out of each visit and to bring and wear a non-medical mask for the duration of the visit;
• All visitors must comply with Infection Prevention and Control measures. This includes strict hand hygiene and maintaining physical distancing (6 feet/2 metres apart) with consideration for brief hugs and handholding while maintaining as much distances as possible between faces and followed by prompt and effective hand hygiene;
• Visits may be suspended if visitors do not comply with these measures;
• Concordia Place reserves the right to cancel all visits in the case of a confirmed/potential COVID-19 outbreak in the facility or local area or upon the direction of the Chief Provincial Public Health Officer.
• Designated family caregivers (someone whom the resident of substitute decision maker identifies and designates as an essential partner in care) may be identified to visit at any time during visitation hours or as determined with the care team. Up to two (2) people may be identified;
  • Effective July 30, 2020, visiting hours for designated family caregivers will be daily, seven days a week from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm pending staff availability;
  • Designated family caregivers may visit for any length of time during the specific visiting hours without the need to formally book an appointment, as long as it does not negatively impact the care of other residents or the ability of other family caregivers to provide care and support;
  • Designated family caregivers may visit on the unit in the resident’s room and may also access the courtyard for visits according to the unit courtyard schedule; the schedule varies from day to day, please check the posted times;
  • In addition to a non-medical mask, we ask designated family caregivers to bring and wear eye protection for the duration of the visit;
  • If the resident requires assistance from staff during the visit, we kindly ask the designated family caregiver to use the call bell to obtain assistance and to wait immediately outside the resident room while care is provided;
• General outdoor/indoor visitors (family or friends who visit for social reasons) will continue with appointments as previously scheduled;
  • Outdoor visits continue to be preferred; however indoor visits will continue to be accommodated in the Chapel on a case by case basis according to individual resident needs;
  • Visits will continue to be booked Monday to Friday between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm;
  • Up to four (4) general visitors may attend a scheduled visit;
  • To accommodate additional general visitors at each visit, the visitation spaces will be reconfigured:
    • Outdoor – there will be two (2) visiting stations spaced further apart to allow space for more visitors and additional privacy;
    • Indoor – there will be one (1) visiting station to support a more private and quiet visiting space in circumstances where the outdoor visit has been unsuccessful for the resident;
  • Minors (children under 14) are to be accompanied by an adult;
  • In the event of inclement weather, outdoor visits with general visitors will be cancelled.
  • General indoor visitors will be escorted to the chapel and are asked to perform proper hand hygiene and to minimize contact with surfaces (e.g. escorting staff member will open doors, etc.).

In order to help us ensure a resident specific visitation plan that supports the best experience for you and your loved one is developed, the Clinical Managers, Clinical Resource Nurses or designates have been reaching out to the primary contact on record to discuss plans.  Please contact the Clinical Manager for your area should you have any further questions.

Shannon Croft, Clinical Manager 1^st and 2^nd Floors at 204-661-7294
Amy Anis, Clinical Manager 3^rd and 4^th Floors at 204-661-7217

Protecting the health and well-being of your loved ones and our staff remains one of our top priorities. Regular assessment by public health officials of the impact and evaluation of the need for adjusted visitor restrictions will continue as developments evolve. In collaboration with Public Health, LTC Operators will determine the need to suspend all visits in the case of a confirmed/potential COVID-19 outbreak in the facility or local area or upon the direction of the Chief Provincial Public Health Officer. Once again, thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we take every measure to protect you, your loved ones and our staff.

COVID-19 management strategies in Long Term Care

As you may be aware, the Manitoba government announced proposed changes to support increased visitation in personal care homes as part of the province’s Phase 4 Restoring Safe Service roadmap.  The proposed plan may be found at the government website.

The Concordia Place leadership team is in the process of developing our site-specific plan.  As details are finalized, we will distribute updates by email and post information to the Concordia Place website.

We are planning for an implementation date of Thursday July 30, 2020.

Visiting hours for designated visitors have not yet been determined, but will be communicated  soon.  We are tentatively planning for designated visitor visiting hours seven days a week from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm pending availability of additional staff.

In the interim as part of the planning process, the Clinical Managers, Clinical Resource Nurse (CRN), or designate will begin contacting the residents’ primary contact on record to discuss individual visitation plans and determine the names of the two designated visitors. When identifying the family members/support persons who will be identified as the designated visitors, please consider those close family or friends who have a clearly established pattern of involvement in care and provides the resident with essential support, for example an individual who normally has visited the resident daily.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to your Clinical Manager or me.

• Shannon Croft, Clinical Manager 1^st and 2^nd Floors
• Amy Anis, Clinical Manager 3^rd and 4^th Floors

We thank you for your patience and support as we travel the COVID-19 journey together.

Indoor Visits

While COVID-19 activity remains very low in the province, as per the news media announcement earlier this week, Concordia Place will begin permitting limited indoor visits starting the week of June 29, 2020. 

The indoor visits are a supplement to the outdoor visits already in place, which will continue and will be the preferred manner to visit your loved one.

Indoor visits will provide an alternate option during inclement weather or for residents where an outdoor visit is not ideal based on their care and support needs.

The attached letter provides details about implementation plans at Concordia Place.  Of particular note, visitors are required:
COVID 19 Indoor PCH Visitation Letter

• to comply with Infection Prevention and Control measures (strict hand hygiene and
  maintaining physical distancing of 6 feet/2 metres),
• to be screened before entry
• to sign in and out of each visit, and
• to wear a non-medical mask for the duration of the visit.  Please ensure that you
  bring  a non-medical mask to every visit  since there are no masks available for purchase
  at Concordia Place  

If you believe your loved one requires an indoor visit based on their care or support needs, please contact the appropriate Clinical Manager.
Shannon Croft, Clinical Manager 1^st and 2^nd Floors at 204-661-7294
Amy Anis, Clinical Manager 3^rd and 4^th Floors at 204-661-7217

If you have any questions , you may also feel free to contact Kyla Gilmour, Director of Resident Services at 204-661-7106.

Outdoor Visits

1. The number of essential visitors identified for outdoor visits is no longer limited to four individuals.
   • To add additional essential visitors:
     1. Visit the Concordia Place website and submit the additional visitor names/contact information using the online form, or
     2. Contact Chris Riordan, Administrative Assistant at 204-661-7372 or [email protected], or
     3. Contact Shannon Croft, Clinical Manager 1^st & 2^nd Floors at 204-661-7294 or [email protected]
   • PLEASE NOTE:  As much as possible, we are working to schedule a visit for a resident once every 1 to 1 ½ weeks. 

With opening up the opportunity for more family members to visit, recurring visits that have already been arranged will continue as planned. However, we understand that family members / friends may need to adjust the appointment time and/or who will attend at the scheduled time to accommodate these family members / friends added to the visiting list.

• If you need to change the appointment time to accommodate the visitor, please let us know and we will do our best to schedule a suitable visit appointment. 
• If the appointment time does not need to be changed, we will update our daily visitor log with the visitor names and contact information at the appointment time.

2. The restriction on bringing food/beverages and items to the outdoor visit has been revised.  Food/beverages and items may be brought during outdoor visits, however, based on Infection Prevention and Control best practice recommendations, we continue to request that food items are brought in a wipeable plastic container.

Resident Items

In addition personal care items, the list of appropriate resident items has been eased to allow items such as newspapers, cards, books, food, toys, electronic games, plants, and flowers, as long as the items are dedicated to the intended resident only.

As noted, based on Infection Prevention and Control best practice recommendations, we continue to request that food items are brought in a wipeable plastic container.

In addition, we continue to request that deliveries are arranged Monday to Friday (except statutory holidays) between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm as the drop off location between the double doors is not monitored during non-office hours. If you have questions, please contact your clinical manager (Shannon Croft, 1st & 2nd Floors @ 204-661-7294 or Amy Anis, 3rd & 4th Floors @ 204-661-7217) or Kyla Gilmour @ 204-661-7106.

Personal Care Home (PCH) On-site Outdoor Visitation during COVID-19

Accordingly, this is to advise that, effective June 1, 2020, we are pleased to provide on-site, 30 minute outdoor visits at Concordia Place entrance Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 am – 4 pm. Please note the following guidelines to reduce risk of infection to your loved ones and you:

• Screening of all visitors must occur, including assessment for symptoms or known exposure to COVID-19 prior to entry. Restrictions will apply to visitors who have travelled outside of Manitoba within the past 14 days. No visitor shall be permitted if they have any cold / flu or other COVID-19 symptoms.
• All visitors must comply with Infection Prevention and Control measures. This includes strict hand hygiene and maintaining physical distancing (6 feet / 2 meters apart) at all times.

Indoor visits remain suspended
Exceptions will continue to be made on a case-by-case basis as per existing guidance, e.g. visits for compassionate and/or end of life reasons.

Off-property visits are not permitted given the risk to residents and to the facility associated with unknown nature of contacts, exposure and other required safety measures.

In order to help us ensure that this new opportunity presents the best experience for you and your loved one, please review and complete this form.

Protecting the health and well-being of your loved ones and staff remains one of our top priorities. Regular assessment by public health officials of the impact and evaluation of the need for adjusted visitor restrictions will continue as developments evolve. Once again, thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we take every measure to protect you, your loved ones and our staff.

Sincerely,

Kyla Gilmour, Director of Resident Services Concordia Place

Families & Support person of our Concordia Residents

Below is a letter from Shared Health regarding implementation of a single-site staffing model for nursing and support staff working in all licensed personal care homes in Manitoba, effective May 1, 2020.  If you have any questions please contact your clinical manager (Shannon Croft @ 204-661-7294 / Amy Anis @ 204-661-7217 or Kyla Gilmour, Director of Residential Services @ 204-661-7106.

A message to families, support persons & Concordia Place residents

Concordia Place Leadership, Staff and Physicians together with Public Health Officials are taking all necessary steps to decrease the risk of spread of the COVID virus. 

Across Manitoba, strict infection prevention and control precautions are now in place in all hospital and long term care facilities.   For the safety of your loved ones, and upon the recommendation of public health officials, we are needing to suspend visitor access to Concordia Place. This is consistent with current best practices implemented across Manitoba.

We appreciate your understanding as we implement these elevated precautions to protect our residents, many of whom have underlying medical conditions that put them at greatest risk of becoming severely ill due to COVID-19.

Exceptions for compassionate reasons or end-of-life situations will be made on a case-by-case basis.  Please speak with the manager of the unit at Concordia Place if you believe you have an extenuating circumstance.   

We want to thank all our residents’ family members and friends for respecting the visitor restrictions. We understand the importance of families communicating with our residents.  To facilitate ongoing communication, our Recreation team will implement telephone socialization plans to enable residents and their families to connect by telephone or FaceTime in order to maintain contact with each other.  Nurses and Health Care Aides at Concordia Place will also assist residents and family members to connect by phone. 

Nurses will also be contacting the resident’s primary contact, as identified in the care plan, at least weekly to provide an update on how the resident is doing.  This is in addition to contact nurses routinely make if medical or care issues arise.   

Just as all Manitobans are being asked to practice physical distancing, practices and programs at Concordia Place have been adjusted accordingly. While larger group programs and gatherings are suspended, our Recreation Facilitators and Spiritual Care Providers are connecting with residents individually.   

Hairdressing services for the foreseeable future are also suspended. 

If you wish to bring food or other items to a resident at Concordia Place, our staff will deliver appropriate items to the resident on the unit.  Please follow these guidelines:

All items that are delivered must allow for the surface to be appropriately cleaned and disinfected on arrival.  No items should be packaged in cloth bags. 

• Food items will need to be in sealed containers that can be wiped down prior to delivery to the resident on the unit. Please label all food containers with the resident’s name and the date.
• Items that cannot be appropriately cleaned and disinfected on arrival cannot be accepted. For example: plants, flowers, or stuffed animals. We continue to implement recommended infection prevention and control measures including enhanced environmental cleaning to promote resident safety and well-being.

The following individuals should NOT attend any health care facilities to visit residents or deliver items to residents.  Individuals coming into Concordia Place will be asked the following questions to determine whether they have:  

• Returned from travel, including travel within Canada, in the last 14 days, OR
• Had exposure* to a confirmed COVID-19 case within 14 days prior to onset of illness, (Note: *Exposure may include scenarios or settings like: large events with confirmed case(s) of COVID-19.)
• Had close contact with someone being tested for COVID-19 at this time,
• Been instructed to self-isolate or self-monitor for 14 days,
• Have cold or flu-like symptoms (cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat, weakness or headache)

In the event that you or anyone in your family receives a positive test result for COVID-19 AND has visited a hospital or a long-term care facility or care environment within the last 14 days, we ask that you immediately notify the manager of the unit where your loved one is being cared for.

As your long-term care facility, we want to assure you that our skilled expert clinical teams and support teams are here for you and your family, to provide quality, compassionate care in a faith-based environment, which is our mission and our passion.  We thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we take every measure to protect you, your loved ones and our staff.  We ask for your continued prayers for the health of the citizens of Winnipeg, and people throughout the world.

We encourage you to visit the dedicated Manitoba Government website for the latest information and recommendations related to COVID-19.

If you have additional questions please feel free to contact:

• Kyla Gilmour Director of Resident Services at 204-661-7106, or
• Shannon Croft, Clinical Manger 1^st &2^nd Floor at 204-661-7294, or
• Amy Anis, Clinical Manager 3^rd & 4^th Floor at 204-661-7217