UPDATE: Isolation Period for Primrose Gardens, Terrace West & Terrace East

Menno Place Memo
To: All Residents, Staff & Families of Menno Place
Re: UPDATE: COVID-19 Exposure in Primrose Gardens & Terrace West Independent Living Apartments
Date: Monday, August 24th, 2020 1:30pm 

On Friday, August 21st, Menno Place notified residents, family, and friends of a COVID-19 exposure in Primrose Gardens and Terrace West Independent Living Apartments. Read the Aug. 21 Memo here

The exposed residents and their families have all been contacted and advised. Residents were swabbed on Saturday and all results have come back negative for COVID-19. We are cautiously optimistic as false negatives are possible among the elderly. We are monitoring symptoms and the situation closely. 

Thank you for your prayerful support and for honouring our request to halt visits and deliveries on the Menno Place campus over the weekend. 

At this time, we are asking ALL residents of Primrose Gardens, Terrace West AND Terrace East to abide by an isolation period until the morning of August 30th. 

This means:

  • Staying in your apartment.
  • Meals will be delivered to your apartment. 
  • All hair appointments have been cancelled. 

As Terrace East Assisted Living Apartments are connected to Terrace West Independent Living Apartments, we are asking those residents to also abide by this isolation period out of an abundance of caution. 

Residents of Primrose Gardens, Terrace West, and Terrace East may continue to go to important medical appointments off-campus. 

Registered Visitors of Primrose Gardens, Terrace West, and Terrace East must refrain from visiting or making deliveries to the campus until the morning of August 30th unless absolutely necessary. 

Families and friends of residents in these facilities must wait until the morning of August 30th to resume outdoor visits. 

To make arrangements for essential medical appointments, please contact Manager of Community Enrichment for Menno Place Apartments, Cheryl Dawes, at cheryl.dawes@mennoplace.ca or 604-851-4020. Essential grocery deliveries can be made with the receptionists. 

Pavilion Independent Living residents may continue to have registered visitors and outdoor visits. Menno Home and Hospital Safe Social Visits will also continue as before. 

We are grateful for the many messages of encouragement (like this one) that we received over the weekend:

“Thank you so much for all your careful work during these challenging times. I am praying for you. I have complete confidence that you are doing everything possible to keep the residents safe.”

Thank you for your cooperation and love for the residents and staff of Menno Place. We will continue to send necessary updates to the situation. 

Karen Biggs
CEO, Menno Place 

Have you found our Family & Friends website? For information and updates, go to: www.MennoPlaceLife.com

For information and discussion with others whose loved one lives at Menno Place, please ask to join the Menno Place Family & Friends Facebook Group.

 

FAQ’s:

How do I make essential grocery deliveries to my loved one until August 30th?

Essential grocery deliveries can be made 9am to 11:30am 7 days a week (on weekends, a phone number for dietary staff is posted on the outside door. Call and the dietary team will come to receive the groceries from you). Please remember to keep groceries “essential” until August 30th as to not overrun the receptionists. Primrose Garden grocery deliveries can be made at the main door with Brenda. Terrace East and Terrace West deliveries can be made at the Terrace East main door with Claire. If you use Save On or another grocery delivery service, deliveries also need to be during the hours mentioned above. Deliveries for Terrace East & West have to be made at the Terrace East main entrance.

 

My loved one lives in the Terrace East Assisted Living Apartments. If there was no COVID-19 exposure in Terrace East, why are they being asked to abide by the isolation period until the morning of August 30th? 

Out of an abundance of caution. The Terrace East building is connected to Terrace West. 

 

When will the rotating dining room schedule resume in Primrose Gardens, Terrace West and Terrace East?

Meals in the dining rooms in these buildings will resume after August 30th if there is no change to the situation. Residents will receive their invitations as before. 

 

I have a Safe Social Visit booked with my loved one in Menno Home or Hospital. Should I reschedule my visit until after August 30th?

There has been no exposure to residents in Menno Home or Hospital. The Safe Social Visit sites are also in separate buildings from the exposure. You may keep your appointment if you are comfortable doing so.

If it is more than 24 hours before your appointment, you can reschedule quickly and easily by clicking on the ‘Change/Cancel’ button at the bottom of your appointment confirmation email. Please keep in mind that Safe Social Visits are on a rotating schedule through our units, and it may be several weeks until a time slot for your loved one’s unit becomes available again.

If you would like to cancel or reschedule and it is less than 24 hours before your appointment, please contact Life Enrichment Coordinator, Garry Janzen at garry.janzen@mennoplace.ca or 604-851-1332.

 

My loved one does not live in the exposed buildings. Why are you notifying me?

Out of an abundance of caution. It is important to us that you are aware of all COVID-19 related news.