The Pines Resident & Family Portal

In collaboration with Public Health, heightened surveillance has been lifted for the Oak Home Area as of November 2, 2023.

Thank you for your patience

The new generator installation is going very smoothly and its completion is less than a month away. The remaining electrical work will require three to four power interruptions, each lasting up to 4 hours in duration. The next outage is planned for Monday November 6th, 2023, from 11:00am to 3:00pm. During this outage we will be powered by our temporary generator which provides partial power to the building. As a reminder, resident rooms will not have power as they normally do during a power outage.

Due to limited power in the main kitchen and the inability to keep meals hot, a modified cold lunch will be offered.

Should you have any questions or concerns please reach out.

Thank you for your patience

The Oak Home Area remains on heightened surveillance related to one (1) resident COVID case.

The following measures remain in place:

• N95 mask use and eye protection at all times
• Twice daily respiratory screening for all residents
• Activities for Oak residents are to be cohorted and encouraged to stay on unit
• Close contacts should not visit unaffected areas of the home (we will treat all of Oak this way for the time being)
• ALL residents of the home to be offered masks when joining a group activity
• ALL residents to be offered hand hygiene when leaving or entering any area and before and after eating
• Enhanced High Touch Surfaces cleaning in Oak and in common areas throughout the home

Thank you

Please ensure that if you are bringing your dog in on a retractable leash that your dog is look and no more then an arms length away from you. Would are recommending that you use a shorter leash in the home, but if you are using a retractable one, please ensure it is not stretched out as this is a tripping hazard.

Thank you

We are excited to announce that John Iskander will be joining our team at The Pines as our new Infection Prevention and Control Lead. Please read below a quick bio in which John shared with us:

‘As a certified Infection Control Epidemiology Specialist CIC with CBIC.ORG, a licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada for verified International Medical Graduates and successful candidates in the Medical Council of Canada Qualification Exams, I was honored to serve the vulnerable Canadian population that have been profoundly impacted since the beginning of the COVID – 19 pandemic with the Canadian Red Cross and have been deployed to several Ontario Elderly Healthcare facilities, migrant farmer workers, shelters and the Indigenous First Nations Operations as Public Health Advisor/IPAC Specialist. I bring along high ethical, practical, representable and professional IPAC skills that hopefully will be a positive addition to the team and the wonderful residents of The Pines.’

John will join our team November 6^th and will report directly to Kim Sander, DOC. He can be contacted at john.iskander@muskoka.on.ca or at extension 4752.

Please join us in welcoming John to our team.

A member of our nursing team will be reaching out to collect consent for your loved one to get their COVID vaccine, if required. Please reach out to the Charge Nurse if you are unsure if your family member requires the vaccine.

Thank you

In collaboration with Public Health, the Cedar Home Area and Oak Home Area outbreak has been declared over as of October 30, 2023. Oak Home Area remains in heightened surveillance related to one (1) COVID case. N95 masks to be worn on the unit at this time. We will continue to provide updates.

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

The new generator installation is going very smoothly and its completion is less than a month away. The remaining electrical work will require three to four power interruptions, each lasting up to 4 hours in duration. The first outage is planned for Monday October 30^th from 11:00am to 3:00pm. During this outage we will be powered by our temporary generator which provides partial power to the building. As a reminder, resident rooms will not have power as they normally do during a power outage.

Due to limited power in the main kitchen and the inability to keep meals hot, a modified cold lunch will be offered.

Should you have any questions or concerns please reach out.

Thank you for your patience

Oak and Cedar Home Areas remain in outbreak related to COVID at this time. Oak currently has three (3) resident isolated and Cedar has one (1) resident isolated. Symptoms include cough, sneezing, runny nose, diarrhea, and poor appetite. Family members of those affected have been notified.

We are encouraging everyone entering the home to wear a surgical mask at this time. The outbreak home areas have the specific PPE that is required to be put on prior to entering the home area at each entrance.

The following infection control measures to be implement or continued at this time:

• N95 Masks and eye protection to be worn on Oak and Cedar home areas at all times.
• BID respiratory symptom screening on Oak and Cedar.
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Activities- Small group activities on Oak and Cedar; cohorting of other units where possible.
• Twice daily high touch surface cleaning on Oak and Cedar.
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits on unit.
• Increased resident hand hygiene.
• Use of red dietary trays for isolated residents.
• Limit of 2 essential caregivers at a time on the OAK and CEDAR Home Areas.
• No General Visiting to the OAK and CEDAR Home Areas
• *If residents insist on going off unit, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.

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