Please join me in welcoming our newest team member: Dr. Pooja Mishra! Pooja will be joining us Tuesday, September 5th as the Executive Director responsible for Long Term Care and Assisted Living.
Due to prolonged dry weather the city of Abbotsford has raised the water restrictions to level 3. This will not cause any changes to resident care – showers, meals, and laundry remain the same – but residents and visitors will notice some changes to the campus grounds.
These changes include:
It’s important that we all work together to follow the guidelines and help conserve water. What can you do to help?
For Residents:
For Staff and Families please remember to follow the city guidelines:
The hanging baskets by the main doors of each building are on a drip system so they will not be affected by these changes. Thank you for working with us to be good neighbors. If you have any questions about water restrictions please contact Leonard Klassen – Leonard.Klassen@mennoplace.ca .
Learn practical applications to identify risk factors of violence and de-escalation techniques at a Violence Prevention Workshop on Friday, August 25, 2023. Space is limited. Register soon!
Volume 2023.12
To: All Menno Place Staff
From: Melissa Francis, Director of People & Culture
As we strive to ensure the well-being of all our employees, we want to remind you of our company’s sick leave policy. If you are feeling unwell and unable to report to work, please follow the following steps:
Please remember to provide a doctor’s note if you are absent formore than 3 consecutive days. Under Menno’s Sick leave Policy ( AP3.18), under section 3.10
‘For more than three (3) days of illness, a Doctor’s note will be required’ This will be enforced moving forward, and will start with the staffing team or your manager making this request.
If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to your manager or the HR department. Your health is of utmost importance to us, and we appreciate your cooperation in adhering to our sick leave policy.
The People & Culture team wants to remind you that scanning in and out for shifts is essential. We have seen that many employees who arrive late will look to simply wait to sign out instead of signing in.
We can not stress how important it is for all staff to complete the missed scan forms if they miss any sign-in times. If you have any questions about this I would encourage you to speak with staffing or the HR team.
Terrace East 5th Floor Fire – August 7, 2023
In the morning of August 7th, there was a small fire in a resident suite in Terrace East on the fifth floor. The smoke alarm and sprinkler system were activated. The Fire Department was called and responded immediately. The resident was safely evacuated from the suite and no one was injured. Menno Place team leaders were onsite and called the restoration company to assess the damage.
Twelve residents were evacuated from their suites due to water damage. They were brought to the dining room and as of 10:00 this morning all but two have returned home to their suites. The two who cannot yet return have been made comfortable in temporary suites. All Terrace East residents are receiving care as usual according to their care plans.
The primary contacts of each of these residents have been called and updated and all residents received a memo Monday afternoon to keep them informed. If residents or family members come to you with questions please direct them to Leonard Klassen 6041-851-4006.
We are pleased that the fire emergency plan we have in place worked as anticipated, ensuring the immediate safety of all the residents in the Terrace East building. Menno Place has a dedicated Building Systems and Emergency Coordinator, David Janzen, who has been key to the preparedness of our staff for an incident like this.
All the staff and emergency systems responded as they should and we thank staff for their assistance in this situation. Several family members also expressed their appreciation for the way staff handled the residents who needed to be evacuated. There are no restrictions on visitors to Terrace East at this time however we ask all staff to stay out of the suite where the fire occurred.
Media Interest
If the media approaches you for your thoughts or comments on this incident, we remind you that Menno Place only has one spokesperson to the media – CEO, Sujata Connors. Direct any enquiries to her.
Staff Support
A fire is a traumatic event, even when all emergency response systems work quickly and correctly. If you would like to talk to someone about your experience or any feelings of unease you may be having please reach out to your supervisor, or Melissa, Director of People and Culture, or FSEAP – Employee & Family Assistance Programs – Confidential Counselling Services 1.800.667.0993
Menno Place is celebrating grandparents with a fun-filled afternoon for our residents and their families on September 9th! Bring your families to join in on the fun or consider volunteering to make this event a success!
Learn practical applications to identify risk factors of violence and de-escalation techniques at a Violence Prevention Workshop on Friday, August 25, 2023. Space is limited. Register soon!
Please welcome Kristina to the HR team as our new Recruitment and Talent Specialist!
The beloved gospel hymn, All The Way My Savior Leads Me, written by Franny Crosby was the expression of gratitude to God after a direct and peculiar answer to prayer. Find out more about this hymn!
Click to listen.
I am grateful for every tenant living at Menno Place, and for every staff member who works here. I want to inform you of what is happening on campus.
We are building the Life Enrichment Team to continue to serve you and are excited for what lies ahead. Many familiar faces remain on our team (Darlene, Judith, Angela, Leonard). We’ve welcomed Kerry as the Apartments Chaplain. We’ve said goodbye to Trish, Tamara, and Claire. Many staff members have vacation time during the summer months. Change is often unsettling but know that we are excited for the future.
We are available to hear from you. Please continue to call the reception phone numbers and leave a message if no one answers. We will respond. We will continue to work with all our other departments to deal with your questions and concerns. Our building emergency line is available for after-hours building emergencies.
We are committed to communicating with you. We make announcements in the dining rooms. We broadcast the weekly Menno Forum on Tuesdays/Wednesdays – please tune in to Channel 10. We distribute memos. We put up posters. We are planning community meetings for each building in September. We want you to know what is happening.
We are upgrading the exterior of Terrace West. Terrace West is getting exterior upgrades over the next 3-4 months. The specifics will be shared with Terrace West tenants as the project begins. Thanks for your patience during construction.
Thank you for being such great tenants!
Leonard Klassen,
Interim Manager of Independent and Supportive Living
