NEW: December 31, 2024 — OARC Webinar for Residents: A Conversation with the Ministry of Long-Term Care’s Inspections Branch – Wednesday, January 15^th at 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST

Residents are invited to join the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils (OARC) as we welcome guests from the Ministry of Long-Term Care’s Inspection Branch for our next live webinar!

As the people who live in long-term care homes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, residents and their Residents’ Councils bring valuable insights and feedback when meeting with Long-Term Care Inspectors. In this session, residents will learn more about the Inspections program and how the Ministry of Long-Term Care continues to modernize its regulatory approach.

Register Here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mozvBrYSTZ6VYMY9jeuCVA#/registration



Thank you for sharing this learning opportunity with residents, Residents’ Councils, and their supportive partners at your long-term care home. We look forward to seeing you on January 15^th!

The Ministry of Long-Term Care does not endorse or sponsor specific learning and education activities. All long-term care sector associations play important roles in contributing to the goals of quality of life and quality of care in Ontario’s long-term care homes.

Below is information from the Ontario Association of Residents' Councils regarding the Residents' Bill of Rights. For more information, click on the links below or the website at the bottom.

The formation of residents’ rights afforded to all persons living in long-term care homes, began in the early 1950’s and grew to 29 distinct rights. The Ontario Residents’ Bill of Rights is embedded in our provincial legislation, the Fixing Long-Term Care Act (FLTCA), 2021, and accompanying Regulations (O. Reg. 246/22)

All long-term care homes in Ontario (including those formerly known as nursing homes, municipal homes for the aged, and charitable homes) are governed by the Fixing Long-Term Care Act. The requirements in the LTCHA ensure that residents of these homes receive safe, consistent, and high-quality resident-centered care in settings where residents feel at home, are treated with respect, and have the supports and services they need for their health and well-being.

Residents’ Councils review and promote the Residents’ Bill of Rights. The following resources are some of the supports available to provide a deeper understanding of the rights.

Access the English Residents’ Bill of Rights here

To access an English video/audio version of the Residents’ Bill of Rights click here.

To access translations of the Residents’ Bill of Rights in different languages, click here.

To learn more about enhancing Residents’ Bill of Rights Education at your home, check our Through Our Eyes

As of April 11, 2022, the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 (FLTCA) and Ontario Regulation 246/22 have replaced the previous Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 (LTCHA) and Ontario Regulation 79/10 as the governing legislation for long-term care in Ontario.

The FLTCA continues the strong protections for whistle-blowers that were included in the (former) LTCHA, and expands these to apply to any disclosure by anyone to any personnel of the ministry and to a long-term care home's Residents' Council and Family Council, if any.

The whistle-blowing protections are intended to give anyone the confidence to bring forward anything about an LTC home, including the care of a resident, without fear of retaliation.

The FLTCA continues to require licensees to post in the LTC home an explanation of the whistle-blowing protections afforded under the legislation. They must also provide this information specifically to residents, staff, and volunteers.

You can review information from the Ministry of LTC by clicking on the link below.

Whistle-Blowing Fact Sheet from The Ministry of Long-Term Care

If you wish to enjoy a meal with your loved one at the Pines, please get in touch with the Administration team 24 hours before to reserve your spot.

Breakfast is $5.00, lunch is $5.00 and dinner is $10.00 which can be paid on the day you have booked to have the meal.

We can support up to three (3) guests for one resident (totaling a table of four (4)). Upon payment, a ticket (or tickets) will be given to you from the administration team and this ticket(s) is to be presented to the staff member who takes your meal order on the day of your booking.

Please reach out to the Administration Team if you have any questions.

In collaboration with Public Health, the Oak Home Area Outbreak has been declared over. Please continue to ensure that you are diligent with hand hygiene upon entering the home, entering home areas, exiting home areas, and exiting the home.

Thank you for your patience as our team worked through the most recent outbreaks.

In collaboration with Public Health, the Spruce Home Area Outbreak has been declared over. The Oak Home Area remains in a Gastroenteritis outbreak, with symptoms including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Family members of those residents affected have been notified. Please ensure that you are diligent with hand hygiene upon entering the home, entering home areas, exiting home areas, and exiting the home.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home area:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Oak Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Oak Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Oak Home Are. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

As 2024 comes to an end, we wanted to take a minute to share some of our celebrations for the year as well as things we are looking forward to in 2025.

2024 brought many things to celebrate.

Our Environmental team is celebrating the large generator upgrade, which will power the entire home at 100% if it fails. We are also installing new flooring in two of the home areas and refinishing the front balcony.

The Dietary team is celebrating partnering with residents to ensure meals are what they would like and focusing on improving the instant ordering system for 2025.

Our Activities team celebrated many successful festive activities including lots of bus trips and themed lunches, which are always a resident favorite!

Our Nursing team is celebrating our recruitment and retention efforts which have increased as well as a partnership with the Spasticity clinics and the Nurse Practitioner Outreach Team (NLOT) as a support for our home.

In 2025 we look forward to an upgrade to nursing equipment including pieces to support medication safety, the installation of accessible doors to the home areas, more flooring replacement, and much more.



We truly have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.

From our home to yours, we wish you a happy holiday

Sincerely,

Jennifer Ridgley

Administrator

In collaboration with Public Health, the Oak and Spruce home areas remain in a Gastroenteritis outbreak, with symptoms including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Family members of those residents affected have been notified. Please ensure that you are diligent with hand hygiene upon entering the home, entering home areas, exiting home areas, and exiting the home.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home areas:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce & Oak Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce and Oak Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce or Oak. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

In collaboration with Public Health, the Oak and Spruce home areas remain in a Gastroenteritis outbreak, with symptoms including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Family members of those residents affected have been notified. Please ensure that you are diligent with hand hygiene upon entering the home, entering home areas, exiting home areas, and exiting the home.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home areas:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce & Oak Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce and Oak Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce or Oak. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

In collaboration with Public Health, the Oak and Spruce home areas remain in a Gastroenteritis outbreak, with symptoms including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Birch Home Areas enhanced surveillance has been declared over and the single case has been resolved. Family members of those residents affected have been notified.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home areas:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce & Oak Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce and Oak Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce or Oak. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.