The Pines Resident & Family Portal

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.

Thank you to those that were able to attend the meeting last evening. If you would like to review the meeting, please click on the link below.

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/eSOYH0ra64CMQ3yq3UXWL0kF2z8Z1Swj1KP7tH2p33irLaw7ftLeOgXsf8-dqZgd.KrcwR262prAIPqmj

Passcode: p!KD$4B0

NEW: September 19, 2022 - Invitations to Information Sessions

Long-term care residents, families and caregivers are invited to an information session to hear important updates from the Ministry of Long-Term Care. Topics will include:

• How Ontario’s Plan to Stay Open connects with long-term care, including what providing the right care in the right place means and what long-term care residents can expect.
• Updates about COVID-19 vaccines.
• New ministry supports that are available for residents and homes.

Resident Information Session

You can click here to register for the resident information session that will take place on Tuesday, September 20 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. When you register, you will also be able to submit any questions you may have on the topics to be discussed which will be shared with the speakers before the session so that they can speak about the things that are most important to residents.

Family and Caregiver Information Session

You can click here to register for the family and caregiver information session that will take place on Wednesday, September 21 from 2:00 to 3:00 PM. When you register you will also be able to submit any questions you may have on the topics to be discussed which will be shared with the speakers before the session so that they can speak about the things that are most important to families and caregivers of long-term care residents.

We are happy to announce our new registered dietician in the home is Celine Small. Celine is no stranger to the Pines, as she has covered vacations for our home in the past. Celine is happy to be here and looking forward to working with the residents and family members in our home. Celine can be found in the office beside the kitchen.

Welcome, Celine!

TORONTO — Based on guidance from Health Canada and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), the Ontario government is offering the bivalent COVID-19 booster dose to all Ontarians aged 18 and over, beginning with the most vulnerable populations.

“The bivalent COVID-19 booster is a safe and effective way for people to better protect themselves against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variants in Ontario,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “As vaccine protection decreases over time, I encourage all Ontarians aged five and over to receive the booster dose they are eligible for.”

Starting today at 8:00 a.m., bivalent COVID-19 booster appointments will be available to and can be booked for the most vulnerable populations, including:

• individuals aged 70 and over;
• residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care Lodges, and individuals living in other congregate settings that provide assisted-living and health services;
• First Nation, Inuit, and Métis individuals and their non-Indigenous household members aged 18 and over;
• moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals aged 12 and over;
• pregnant individuals aged 18 and over; and
• health care workers aged 18 and over.

Click on the link below for more information:

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1002277/ontarians-aged-18-eligible-for-bivalent-covid-19-booster-dose