MAY 27, 2021 – INDEPENDENT LIVING APARTMENTS: PAVILION, TERRACE WEST, PRIMROSE GARDENS

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COVID UPDATE – INDEPENDENT LIVING – PAVILION, TERRACE WEST, PRIMROSE GARDENS – MAY 27, 2021

Effective immediately, we have ended the Registered Visitor program at Pavilion, Terrace West and Primrose Gardens.

Since March 2020, the Registered Visitor program has successfully provided support to the 250 residents of these apartments during a global pandemic. There have been NO instances of COVID exposure by visitors through this program. This effective program has kept our residents safe from this deadly virus that is most dangerous for those over 80 years old, particularly those with multiple health issues. It is with incredible gratitude that we retire this effective safety support program.

The Independent Living Apartments residents and their visitors will now be expected to follow the BC Restart Plan:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restartRecreation, spiritual and social activities for Independent Living residents will follow this plan as well. As you know, the plan will move forward in four steps under the direction of BC’s public health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. These steps are dependent on: the percentage of vaccinated individuals over 18 years of age, number of COVID cases, number of hospitalizations.

Residents in these three apartment buildings will be receiving a memo today notifying them of this change.

  • The primary change today is that up to 5 people from different households can visit their loved one in their apartment.
  • Also, one household at a time (up to 7 people living at the same address) can come to celebrate a birthday.

We expect visitors to continue their vigilance in Infection Control Protocols, including mask-wearing in the building, hand-hygiene and social distancing. Please go directly to and from your loved one’s apartment suite and do not move around the apartment building. At this time, we have not opened the guest suites or guests to join in meals.

We anticipate that the 2nd dose vaccination clinic for Primrose Gardens and Pavilion residents will take place the last week of June. We will keep you posted on this. Terrace West has already had the 2nd dose vaccination clinic as they are in physical proximity to our Assisted Living apartment, Terrace East. If you wish to register your loved one through the BC Vaccination Registration, you may do that as well: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register

It is with gratitude that we thank the individuals who are responsible for the effective Registered Visitor program – thank you to Nik Van Egdom, Brenda Mertke and Leonard Klassen for implementing this plan to keep our residents safe. Thank you to Cheryl Dawes and Sharon Simpson for creating and implementing this program early into the pandemic. We know that there have been many sleepless nights, particularly at the beginning of the pandemic and recently as community prevalence / variants became a concern. We have prayed that COVID would not enter nor spread in our apartment buildings. With the layers of protection, including social distancing, mask-wearing and vaccination practiced throughout our community, we are grateful that we can end this program.

Thank you to God for His protection, to the residents for their endurance and vigilance during this time, to the families for your care and diligence, to the staff for your faithful practices of infection prevention and to the team who made this amazing safety program possible.

We have been waiting for a change that moves us back to “normal” and this is the first step in that direction. It’s a good day for us all! Please continue to be safe!

Please send any words of encouragement or gratitude to the Menno Place team to Sharon.Simpson@Mennoplace.ca. They will be passed along to these amazing staff!

What about Terrace East Assisted Living Apartments? We have not, yet, heard any update in protocols from Fraser Health. We will post them when we are made aware. Until then, we continue with social visits for families.