The Pines Resident & Family Portal

Here is a summary of the changes that will come into effect on Friday October 14, 2022.

Continuing

• Screening & Rapid Testing: We will continue active screener and rapid testing for everyone entering the home, every time.
• Resident Screening: Daily screening including temperature check of residents for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 continues. When in outbreak screening increases to twice a day.
• Isolation Period: remains 10 days at this time.
• Physical Distancing: Residents, staff and visitors are encouraged to continue to practice physical distancing and urged to avoid situations like crowded places in which COVID-19 may spread more easily.

Changing

• Visitor Masking: Essential Caregivers and General Visitors will be allowed to remove their mask in the residents room when they are alone with the resident. If staff enter the room, the visitor must put their mask back on. Masks are to be worn in all other areas of the building.
• Eating in Resident Rooms: Essential Caregivers and General Visitors will be allowed to remove their mask in the residents room to eat or drink with the resident. They cannot join the resident to eat a meal in the dining room or outside of the dining room. This will only be permitted in the resident’s room when they are alone. Again, their mask would need to be reapplied if staff enter the resident’s room.
• Absences: Residents are able to leave the home for all types of absences, including social day and overnight absences, and not have to be tested or isolated upon their return to the home. Unless they have symptoms of COVID-19 in which they would be tested and isolated if positive.
• Close Contact: If residents come into contact with someone with covid-19: regardless of vaccination status, residents will be monitored, but no longer need to be isolated unless they develop symptoms.
• Admission/Transfers: Testing of asymptomatic residents being admitted or transferred from the community or a facility that is not in outbreak is no longer required.
• Outbreak Definition: The definition of a confirmed outbreak have been updated to two or more residents with COVID-19 with a common link with a 10-day period (no longer includes staff or visitors in the definition).
• Visitor Limit: The provincially set limit of 4 visitors per resident at a time for indoor visits has been lifted. The limit will need to be judged on the space that is available when a resident has visitors to ensure physical distancing is in place.

Entire Home Heightened Surveillance lifted October 12, 2022, in collaboration with Public Health. Thank you for your patience.

Please reach out to Melissa at ext. 9752 if you have any further questions.

As we enter the fall respiratory illness season, we know COVID-19 will continue to evolve and circulate in the community as will other respiratory viruses, including influenza. We also know how to protect ourselves and prevent severe illness. There are changes being made to the long-term care pandemic response measures, which aim to balance the need to optimize health and safety for residents and staff, while ensuring isolation and other public health guidance are suitable for this point in the pandemic. Our team will be working through the changes early next week and communicating prior to the effective date of October 14, 2022.

Please stay tuned for this information- Thank you

We now have a second AED in the home! It can be found on the second floor across from the resident laundry room (Near the Physiotherapy Room). We are happy to partner with the paramedics to ensure that you have these life saving devices in the home.

Starting Wednesday October 12, 2022, residents will be receiving their vaccines and we will be able to complete some staff in between resident vaccines. Paramedics will be here 9-6 pm to assist our team.

Thursday October 13, 2022, Staff will be able to get one or both vaccines between 9am and 6pm in the Fran Coleman Room.

Thursday October 13, 2022, Families and Essential Caregivers will be able to get one or both vaccines between 9-1 pm & 3-6 pm in the Fran Coleman Room.

Any questions, please contact Melissa Muir-Clark at ext. 4752

A lot of our residents are wanting pet visiting! We have reached out to all of our resources, but no luck. Are you someone that has a pet that have current vaccination status and you would be willing to sign up as a volunteer? We are looking for you!

We require a current vaccination status of the animal which is kept on file in the admin office and we would need you to fill out the volunteer paperwork to become a registered volunteer. You can come and go on your own time if you want or we can set you up with an activity aide and your visit can become a program.

We are flexible and willing to do what it takes to have the residents receive some pet therapy!

Please also remember that we require proof of vaccination to be kept on file for any animals that are visiting the home for any reason.

Please contact the Administrative team if you would like more information on this volunteer opportunity.

As most of you know, we are having our annual Flu Shot clinic here at The Pines. Most of you have consented and we are very grateful for that! We will confirm the clinics early next week and send out information.

This year is not like other years, we also have the new Bi-Valent Covid vaccine out and available to our residents. Here is a little bit of information about the Covid-19 Vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccination:
What you need to know about the new “bivalent” booster

You have likely heard in the media that Health Canada authorized a new “bivalent” COVID-19 vaccine on Sept. 1, 2022. There has been a lot of discussion about this new vaccine, so we asked Dr. Matt Morgan, our Chief Medical Officer, to answer some common questions.

What is a “bivalent” vaccine? Bivalent means that it combines vaccines for two strains of the virus. The Moderna Spikevax Bivalent (50 mcg) COVID-19 vaccine offers strong immunity against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strain, as well as Omicron variants.

When will the bivalent vaccine be available to Canadians? Each province and each local health unit will have its own timeline. All health units should receive it by the end of September.

Will this replace existing vaccines? No. The bivalent vaccine is an additional tool in our COVID-19 toolkit, but it’s not right for everyone. The bivalent vaccine can be given between three and six months after prior vaccination or infection. At this time, based on information available, I would recommend that residents, staff and essential caregivers wait for three months (90 days) after a COVID infection and four months (120 days) from prior COVID vaccination.

Guidelines will differ by province and health unit, so it’s best to check your local public health unit’s website for more information. (Tip: If you’re not sure when you received your last COVID-19 vaccine, you can get a copy of your vaccine certificate online: https://www.ontario.ca/get-proof/

Will you be offering the bivalent vaccine to residents and team members? Yes! We will be offering the bivalent vaccine to our residents and staff starting in October.

Can my loved one get the Bi-valent vaccine and influenza Vaccine at the same time? Yes! We now know much about both vaccines so individuals at the Pines have this option. (This is not recommended for children 6-5years old).

Due to unforeseen circumstances and staffing issues, the Direct Dental Clinic will be postponed until further notice.

Direct Dental will be contacting the families and residents who were already booked to communicate this information.

On behalf of the Pines LTC, Health Services Division, I am very pleased to announce our new District team member, Scot Gray, Dietary Manager.

Scot brings to the District almost 30 years of culinary experience and over 10 years of leadership in the dietary field in long-term care. Scot holds a Cook Trade Certification with Gold Seal as well as Food Services and Nutrition Management Certification. Most recently Scot worked as a Regional Food Services Manager with Nutra Service/Jarlette Health Services overseeing the dietary services for 14 long-term care homes across Ontario.

Please join me in welcoming Scot who starts on Tuesday October 11, 2022, reporting to myself, Jennifer Ridgley. Scot can be found at the Pines, 98 Pine Street, and can be reached at ext. 4801.

The Heightened Surveillance yesterday has been Retracted by our Local Public Health.

Please continue to screen yourselves before coming in the building. And please reach out if you have any questions.

With the guidance of Public Health, we are now in Enhanced Respiratory Surveillance on Birch as of September 26, 2022. What this means for our home is:

1)enhanced cleaning on the Birch Unit at this time

2)enhanced monitoring and reporting of symptoms, and isolation precautions for symptomatic residents.

This is respiratory surveillance, not COVID-19 surveillance.

We will continues to update as this evolves in the home.