The Pines Resident & Family Portal

We are entering Flu/Covid season, and I am relying on all of you to help keep the residents healthy. One of the easiest and best ways to do this is with proper hand hygiene and a self-assessment at home before visiting.

When coming into the home and entering any of the home areas please ensure you are using the hand sanitizer as well as when you are leaving the home areas and the building.

Before you come to visit your loved ones, please take a moment at home, and ensure that you are feeling well and do not have any symptoms of illness (fever, runny nose, cough, congestion, sore throat). If you do, please stay home.

The graph shows hand hygiene audits that are completed daily throughout the home and at the front door. As you can see the compliance for family/guests coming into the home is at 50%. We need to get this up to at least 95% or higher to ensure that we breaking the chain of infection.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) week is coming, and you will see some fun information and activities. Please feel free to join in on the fun.

Thank you for helping to keep the residents safe and healthy.

Please reach out if you have any questions to stephanie.albert@muskoka.on.ca

Stephanie Albert RPN, IPAC Lead

Please join us on Monday, September 30th by wearing an orange shirt in honour of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. If you would like more information about this day please visit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/national-day-truth-and-reconciliation?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_6abh8vjiAMVX3N_AB2R_yZZEAAYASAAEgIv-fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The Story of Orange Shirt Day from https://orangeshirtday.org/orange-shirt-day/

The Legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. This project was the vision of Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins, who is a former student himself. It brought together former students and their families from the Secwepemc, Tsilhqot’in, Southern Dakelh and St’at’imc Nations along with the Cariboo Regional District, the Mayors and municipalities, School Districts and civic organizations in the Cariboo Region.

The events were designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. Chief Justice Murray Sinclair challenged all of the participants to keep the reconciliation process alive, as a result of the realization that every former student had similar stories.

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of this project. As spokesperson for the Reunion group leading up to the events, former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year old girl.

The annual Orange Shirt Day on September 30th opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. A discussion all Canadians can tune into and create bridges with each other for reconciliation. A day for survivors to be reaffirmed that they matter, and so do those that have been affected. Every Child Matters, even if they are an adult, from now on.

The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. It is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.

It all started right here in the Cariboo, and as a result, School District No. 27 was chosen by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) to pilot curriculum changes for all Grade 5 and Grade 10 students reflecting the residential school experience, which have now been implemented province-wide.

Hands have good germs that your body needs to stay healthy. Hands can also have bad germs on them that make you sick.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer kills most of the bad germs that make you sick.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill the good and bad germs, but the good germs quickly come back on your hands.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer does not create antimicrobial-resistant germs.

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill germs quickly and in a different way than antibiotics.

Using alcohol-based hand sanitizers to clean your hands does not cause antimicrobial resistance.

Steps To Take

When residents and visitors should clean their hands

• Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Before preparing or eating food.
• Before and after changing wound dressings or bandages.
• After using the restroom.
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• After touching hospital surfaces such as bed rails, bedside tables, doorknobs, remote controls, or the phone.

How to clean hands -With an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:

1. Put product on hands and rub hands together.
2. Cover all surfaces until hands feel dry. This should take around 20 seconds.

How to clean hands - With soap and water:

1. Wet your hands with warm water. Use liquid soap if possible. Apply a nickel- or quarter-sized amount of soap to your hands.
2. Rub your hands together until the soap forms a lather and then rub all over the top of your hands, in between your fingers and the area around and under the fingernails.
3. Continue rubbing your hands for at least 15 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing the "Happy Birthday" song twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under running water.
5. Dry your hands using a paper towel if possible. Then use your paper towel to turn off the faucet and to open the door if needed.

The front balcony repair is complete as of Friday, September 27th. You may now enjoy this space in the home. Thank you for your co-operation as we made this needed repair.

Please be aware that Delynne Patterson has resigned as the Lead for Family Council. We thank her for her contributions and leadership and wish her well. At this time, the Council has not selected a new lead.

You can view the recording from the September meeting by clicking on the link below. You can also find the family Update presentation and the package from Andrea Groomes, Social Worker, that was discussed at the meet, below.

September Family Council Recording

Passcode: @uHAbrY4

September 2024 Family Update

Peer Support Program Description Package

If you have questions related to Family Council at the Pines, please connect with Jennifer Ridgley, administrator at pines.administrator@muskoka.on.ca or ext. 4877.

The next meeting is scheduled for October 16th, 2024 at 6:30pm.

We have received notice from Public Health that Influenza vaccines will be available at the beginning of October. Please watch for a registered staff member to connect regarding consent for your loved one if they are not self-consenting.

From Public Health Ontario

https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/About/News/2023/01/Respiratory-Etiquette#:~:text=Respiratory%20etiquette%20is%20a%20simple,or%20elbow%2C%20not%20your%20hands.

(External link)

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, everyday infection prevention measures have been placed in the spotlight as important ways to help prevent the spread of the virus. Respiratory etiquette is one of these prevention measures.

What is respiratory etiquette?

Respiratory etiquette is a fancy way of describing the simple everyday actions everyone can take to limit their risk of spreading respiratory viruses. These personal practices primarily consist of covering your coughs and sneezes, regular and thorough hand cleaning, and staying home and keeping to yourself when you are sick.

Respiratory etiquette

(External link)

is a simple yet effective way to prevent illness, and is comprised of a few easy steps:

• Cover your cough and sneeze. Turn your head away from others and cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands. Discard tissues immediately after use into the nearest garbage can.
• Practice effective hand hygiene. Thoroughly clean your hands with either soap and water or alcohol based hand rub regularly, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Wear a mask to protect others. When you are sick, wearing a mask can help to prevent the spread of germs and viruses that make us ill.
• Environmental cleaning. Some important ways to help prevent the spread of germs are cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces and general cleaning of shared spaces.

Importance of respiratory etiquette

According to Statistics Canada

(External link)

and the Public Health Agency of Canada

(External link)

, respiratory infections such as influenza and COVID-19 are ranked among the top 10 leading causes of death in Canada. Nationally, respiratory infections such as influenza cause 12,220 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths from annually. In 2020, COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in Canada, accounting for 5.3% of deaths. Many respiratory infections can be prevented with the implementation of infection prevention and control measures, and everyday practices including respiratory etiquette.

We all have a role to play in preventing the spread of germs and viruses to keep both ourselves and our communities safe and healthy.

For more infection control and prevention tips, visit our website

(External link)

(see the link above).

The District of Muskoka (District) is committed to being an inclusive workplace that is free from discrimination, hate, and racism, that welcomes and celebrates diversity, and that strives for equity in all practices, programs, and services – both as an employer and service provider. This Inclusive Language Guide was developed to help support this vision and help staff feel confident when working with diverse clients, customers, colleagues, and community members. Inclusive language is the language that is free from words, phrases, or tones that reflect prejudiced, stereotyped, or discriminatory views of particular people or groups. It is also language that does not deliberately or inadvertently exclude people from feeling respected and accepted. Using inclusive language helps us honour the District’s corporate values of Respect, Innovation, Service, and Equity (RISE). It also honours the values that reflect Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-racism/Anti-hate (IDEA) which are respect, learning, change, and safety. We feel that this is important to share as we embrace a respectful and inclusive environment in the home.

Inclusion Language Guide:

Inclusive Language Pocket Guide

(External link)

The importance of inclusive language:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMCQ7Bx6d0