Important Announcements

December 17, 2021

RESTRICTIONS ADJUSTMENT DUE TO RISING CASES

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

As the numbers of Covid 19 cases continues to increase significantly, we regretfully must respond with more guidelines and restrictions. We recognize the impact of making these adjustments at Christmas, but are seeking to meet the health and safety needs of residents and staff.

Visiting – Effective Saturday, December 18, 2021 only DCGs (fully vaccinated) will be allowed to visit. We will continue to allow 2 visitors at a time. All visits must take place in the residents’ rooms. DCGs will socially distance (except for a quick hug) and wear masks for the duration of the visit.
Community visits/access – We are putting all community visits and access for residents on hold effective Saturday, December 18, 2021. The Public Health requirements after a resident would return from a visit would be to isolate each resident until we received the results of their first PCR swab. Unfortunately, we do not have the staff to meet this increased workload. We understand the disappointment this will bring, and hope that community visits will be able to resume soon.

We will continue to reassess on an ongoing basis, and hope to be able to ease these restrictions as quickly as possible. We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic.

Sincerely,

Janet Lussier, RN
Acting Administrator/Director of Care
Sagewood/Ivy Meadows

Jill Brown, RN
Administrator/Director of Care
Magnolia

December 16, 2021

RESTRICTIONS RETURN and IMPACT TO LONG TERM CARE

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

Please review the following updates as we enter into new restrictions beginning December 17 related to the recent rise in cases:

A limit of two visitors at a time with long term care residents. It does not have to be the same two visitors each time. Outdoor window visits are available for unvaccinated visitors.
It is strongly recommended that visitors have a rapid test within 24 hours of the visit. This request applies to any out of province visitors as well.
Visitors can have quick close contact like a hug but then need to stay physically distanced for the rest of the visit
The requirement for visitors to wear masks and be fully vaccinated, except for end-of-life visits, remains.
All visitors and DCGs are asked to refrain from dining in residents’ rooms. DCGs can still assist residents with meals, but are to remain masked.
Residents can only leave the facility for overnight visits if they are fully vaccinated and it is strongly recommended that they have their booster dose as well. Unvaccinated individuals can only leave the facility to go to medical appointments.
Children over 11 years must have POV, and for children younger than 11, we ask families to call 48 hours ahead and book the visit through Recreation. This allows time to assess any exposure risks from the school region and develop a specific plan to keep our residents as safe as possible.

We ask for your patience and continued support as we begin to work with these new guidelines, to manage this new surge. We encourage everyone to book their booster vaccination shot as soon as they are eligible, and of course please stay home if you feel any symptoms prior to your visit.

Sincerely,

Janet Lussier, RN
Acting Administrator/Director of Care
Sagewood/Ivy Meadows

Jill Brown, RN
Administrator/Director of Care
Magnolia

November 29, 2021

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to work through the logistics of the guidelines that allow for all safety measures to be maintained as we have done throughout the pandemic. These identified protocols are to be followed and applied as of November 30, 2021.

Designated Care Givers and Visitors

As per the COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Protocol in High-Risk Settings set out by Public Health, Every operator shall require all personnel, designated care givers and visitors to provide one of the following before November 30, 2021:

3.1.1 For employees and designated caregivers, provide proof of vaccination of COVID-19 vaccine administration as per the following requirements:

• if the person is partially vaccinated, proof that the first dose was administered and within 70 days from the first dose, proof of administration of the second dose;

• if the person is fully vaccinated, proof of all required doses

3.1.2 For outside services providers, volunteers and visitors, provide proof that they are fully vaccinated, with proof of administration of all required doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Thank you for your support in helping to keep our residents safe throughout the pandemic and your continued efforts to respect these protocols as they evolve.

Sincerely,

Janet Lussier and Jill Brown

Acting Administrator/Director of Care

September 14, 2021

COVID-19 VISITOR EASING OF RESTRICTIONS SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

With the anticipated Public Health guideline changes coming September 15, 2021, we wanted to provide an update on our policies and protocols at Rosecrest Communities.

Masking: We continue to ask all staff, visitors and Designated Care Givers to wear the provided medical masks at all times when inside our homes.

We also ask that if you wish to visit with a baby or child too young to wear a facemask that you contact Recreation ahead of time so arrangements can be made.

Visitor limits: In order to ensure we are still able to social distance appropriately, we ask that visitors be limited to three per resident at a time. For special circumstances, please contact the Director of Care or Recreation to discuss.
Visiting hours: We will continue to screen all visitors coming into our homes. We ask that visits be between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. to help with staffing. If these hours are a concern, we ask that you contact the Director of Care or Recreation to discuss.

We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic.

Sincerely,

Janet Lussier, RN Acting Administrator

August 11, 2021

July 14, 2021

ROSECREST PHASE 4 OPENING – Visits Starting Friday July 16

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

I am very excited to provide you with the highlights for Phase 4. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through the logistics of these new guidelines to allow for all safety measures to be maintained. DCG visits will continue as usual, below are the newest visitor guidelines. Thank you for your patience as we continue to keep our visitor fob system deactivated to restrict door access until further notice.

For residents who are fully immunized against COVID-19 (14 days post 2^nd vaccine):

• Indoor visits in designated visitation areas and in resident rooms are now permitted. Scheduling is required with Recreation. There will be a limit of 3 visitors per resident. The visits can last up to one hour and will be periodically monitored by staff to ensure compliance with Public Health Measures.

Please continue to book these visits with Recreation staff to allow us to ensure staff are available for screening and visit assistance.

• Full community access is now permitted for residents in DHW licenced facilities (both nursing homes and residential care facilities). This includes retail stores, restaurants, and public parks. Please provide notice to staff of these outings to ensure residents who require assistance are ready to go.

As well, fully vaccinated residents are able to visit their family’s home, including overnight stays. Please be sure to give the staff 24 hours notice of a visit so they can prepare any medications or other needs the resident may have.

For residents who are partially immunized or not immunized against COVID-19:

• Residents who are not fully vaccinated may have visitors in designated indoor visitation areas. There will be a limit of 2 visitors per resident. These visits can last up to one hour and will be periodically monitored by staff to ensure compliance with Public Health Measures. Please continue to book these visits with Recreation staff to allow us to ensure staff are available for screening and visit assistance. Contact information can be found on our website www.rosecrest.ca. Outdoor visits may continue as in Phase 3.

• All residents may leave the home to visit indoor and outdoor public places (like parks, stores, and restaurants). Please provide notice to staff of these outings to ensure residents who require assistance are ready to go.

We are very excited to see these new guidelines and are looking forward to seeing our Residents enjoy time spent with family and friends!

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

June 30, 2021

ROSECREST PHASE 3 REOPENING

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

I’m very excited to provide you with the highlights for our phase 3 reopening. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through the logistics of these new guidelines to allow for all safety measures to be maintained. These changes will start on Friday July 2^nd, this will give us time to prepare.

For residents who are fully immunized against COVID-19 (14 days post 2^nd vaccine):

• Indoor visits in designated visitation areas and in resident rooms are now permitted. Scheduling is required with Recreation. There will be limit of 2 visitors per resident. Residents are encouraged, but are not required, to wear a mask and physically distance from their visitor(s). This means that these residents may sit close, hug, touch, or exchange a kiss or handshake during an indoor visit.

• Full community access is now permitted for residents in DHW licenced facilities (both nursing homes and residential care facilities) with DCGs. This includes retail stores, restaurants, banks, adult day programs, work and school. This does not include visits in the family home.

For residents who are partially immunized or not immunized against COVID-19:

• Visits outdoors without physical distancing are now permitted. Residents are encouraged, but are not required, to wear a mask and physically distance. This means that these residents may sit close, hug, touch, or exchange a kiss or handshake during an outdoor visit.

• Residents may now access outdoor public areas such as boardwalks, parks, etc. The resident must maintain physical distancing (except with their Designated Caregiver or support person accompanying them) and is not permitted to come into contact with others during the outing.

We are very excited to ease off restrictions and let our residents spend much needed time with family and friends.

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

June 2, 2021

Phase 1 Restriction Changes

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

It has been a long road, but we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel! If Nova Scotians keep up the great work they have been doing to follow restrictions, it looks like an enjoyable summer ahead!

Here are highlights of the changes starting tomorrow at our homes. Please note, this will take effect at Ivy Meadows beginning June 11, 2021, after the outbreak is declared over.

DCGs – two can visit at a time, otherwise all current restrictions remain in place We encourage ALL DCGs to get the vaccine if you haven’t already done so.
Residents who are FULLY vaccinated can receive visitors outdoors without social distancing, all visitors must wear masks. We ask that you please limit this to 2 visitors. Please contact Recreation to schedule visits. We appreciate your patience while we work out schedules to fairly accommodate everyone.
Hair dressing services are opening again for Residents!

Further update letters will be issued as restrictions continue to lift. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact management on site to assist you.

As always, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of our Residents and staff during these extremely challenging and unusual times. It will be so good to see many of you back to visit!

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

May 7, 2021

IVY Meadows OUTBREAK OVER!

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

We have received the official word from Public Health that our outbreak is declared over! Fortunately, the outbreak was limited to only the original employee who was unknowingly infected by community spread, and they are recovering at this time. It is because of our voluntary serial testing program that we were able to identify this early and take immediate measures to stop any potential spread.

To the credit of staff, management, residents, and visitors, their significant efforts made to adhere to protocols leading up to and during this outbreak, including use of masks, social distancing wherever possible, high uptake in vaccines and voluntary serial testing, were the keys to our success. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I sincerely thank you all for your cooperation and understanding!

We also would like to publicly extend our sincere thanks to external partners such as our Public Health Teams, the IPAC team, Occ Health team, DHW, NSHA and the lab, we appreciate your guidance and support!

This now means our Designated Caregivers (DCGs) can resume regular visits. Any DCG who has not received their vaccine please contact management for information on added precautions before visiting. Unfortunately, all others are still unable to visit due to the restrictions put in place by Dr. Strang for this third wave. I will send out a message when that restriction is lifted.

Please keep doing your part and “Stay the Blazes Home” so we can see you again soon!

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

April 25, 2021

IVY Meadows COVID-19 UPDATE

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

Just a quick note to say that despite the extra workload and no communal activities for our Residents, everyone is doing very well. I am thrilled to say we have not experienced any further positive covid tests! We have tested all of our Residents, DCGs and almost all of our staff. We will retest every 4 days.

Several of our staff who were close contacts of the staff member who tested positive continue to isolate at home. We wish all of them well and a speedy recovery to our employee who is COVID positive, we look forward to seeing you all back soon, healthy, and happy!

I would like to publicly acknowledge the professionalism and dedication of the staff, both before and during this outbreak. It is truly heartwarming to experience the positivity and kindness exhibited by all!

In order to ensure we meet public health orders in our home, we are continuing precautions such as:

Residents staying in rooms as much as possible.
Staff wearing increased PPE protection.
No visitors or DCGs.
Ongoing testing

With the case numbers continuing to rise in the community, we encourage anyone who is eligible to please sign up for the vaccine and follow all public health restrictions. Our small Ivy Meadows home is very dependent on the health of the community around us.

We appreciate all your well wishes!

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

April 23, 2021

COVID-19 UPDATE – VISITOR RESTRICTIONS SAGEWOOD & MAGNOLIA

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

It has been a while since my last update, as the province was navigating successfully through COVID with very limited cases. Unfortunately, we now have COVID spread in the community including the spread of variants.

We continue to endeavor to strike a balance of protecting our frail Residents’ physical wellbeing while maintaining their emotional and spiritual wellbeing. So, at this time we have made the decision to put the following restrictions in place:

Designated Caregivers who have been vaccinated can continue visits.
All other visits are suspended until further notice.
Volunteers are suspended until further notice.
Residents will bubble in their cottages.
Hairdressing services are suspended until further notice.

As always, we continue with screening residents twice daily, we have staff voluntarily testing for COVID every 2 weeks, and all staff are screened before reporting to work. We continue to wear medical masks while on duty and if any Resident becomes symptomatic, we immediately isolate them with added precautions and send a swab.

If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to call the nurses or the manager on site.

In the meantime, take care everyone and stay safe!

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

April 23, 2021 – Beaver Bank, NS

Administrator’s Update

Hello Families and Friends,

While all of our Rosecrest locations have adapted to the new normal, we have been reminded that we are not fully impervious to Covid-19 a year into the pandemic. We want you to be aware that an Ivy Meadows employee has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee has been isolated and is recovering at home. Testing protocols are being carried out, and residents are isolating in their rooms.

At the time of the positive case result, ninety-seven per cent of our resident population had been vaccinated and just over sixty per cent of our staff have been vaccinated. Rosecrest continues to encourage and support vaccinating remaining residents and staff.

As per protocol, all families have been notified of the positive case. We are working with Public Health and the Department of Health to address any possible staff shortages while waiting on testing results.

We continue to be vigilant in our pandemic practices to assure that your loved one and our staff’s safety is our first priority. All of the staff contacts were tested and sent home as a precaution. Remaining staff and designated caregivers will be tested today. We will continue to test every 4 days.

As a result of this case as well as the updated provincial restrictions, Ivy Meadows is closed to all visitors including any designated caregivers. Our residents continue to be screened twice daily and all staff are screened upon reporting to work. Anyone with symptoms of any kind will immediately self-isolate, and are screened for COVID-19.

If you have any questions pertaining to this, please do not hesitate to contact Nadine Henwood at nadine.henwood@rosecrest.ca or call at (902)865-6364. We will continue to keep you informed of the situation.

Thank you for your support,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

February 26, 2021

November 24, 2020

COVID-19 VISITOR RESTRICTIONS

Dear Residents, Family and Friends,

As announced by Dr. Strang today, we now have a high amount of activity in our local communities. Therefore, we are cancelling all family visits for a period of 2 weeks. At that time, we will determine if it is safe to reinstate these visits as per Dr. Strang’s orders. Please remember, you are very welcome to set up video chats with Recreation for a virtual visit with your loved one.

This restriction does not affect designated caregivers, however we may deem it necessary to shorten those visits and monitor them more closely. Any changes will be communicated to the designated caregivers affected.

As a note, we are also more closely monitoring staff for all public health announced exposures. Rosecrest staff have been voluntarily limiting their activity outside of work hours because they are a dedicated, considerate group of caring people, and I wish to publicly thank them for their diligence.

I also thank families, friends and Residents for their sacrifices, we are hopeful there is an end in sight in the not too distant future with the promise of effective vaccines.

We know Christmas will look very different this year for us all, be assured we will do everything in our power to make it a good one for the Residents! Please help us keep your loved ones safe: limit your travel, respect gathering limits, wear masks for essential shopping, support local business, use online ordering/pick up options, and stay 6 feet away from others. Take care!

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

November 10, 2020

Dear Residents, Families and Friends,

The recent reported community spread, although not widespread, is of great concern to many families, residents and staff. We have decided that after today, all scheduled home visits will be cancelled until further notice. Once we have a better understanding of how the virus is travelling in our community, and the risks it presents, we will revisit this decision. We appreciate this is an inconvenience and a disappointment for a few Residents who are participating in home visits, but we also are hearing from many families that taking this measure is appreciated.

We have reached out today to notify all families, friends and residents who had home visits booked. Please keep in mind, we are continuing with the lower risk indoor/outdoor visits, designated caregivers, and family escorts to appointments.

Thank you and please keep doing what you are doing to keep COVID-19 from spreading!

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

October 2, 2020

Dear Residents, Families and Friends,

Thank you for everything you continue to do to help us maintain the safety of our Residents! We have heard from many excited Residents and families to have home visits. Please see attached educational materials for wearing masks and handwashing. As per the Chief Medical Officer of Health, visits are to be from the facility directly home and back. Please minimize the number of family members/support persons who have close contact (within 6 feet) with the Resident, to minimize potential exposures among residents and staff. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate unscheduled visits.

Prior to scheduled visit:

Someone from the facility will contact family by phone to determine the nature of the visit including things such as where, when, duration, people present, activities, etc. This is necessary to determine what level of exposure the Resident has while out of our facilities and the risk this might pose to co-residents.
A review of when & how to wear masks & handwashing is mandatory – educational materials will be reviewed with you and you will be asked questions to determine your understanding of the requirements
Our nursing department will determine risk of exposure depending on the Resident’s understanding of public health measures and the accompanying individual’s comprehension of same.

At time of visit:

Pick up and drop off Resident outside at front door – ring doorbell upon arrival
Residents are provided a medical mask to be worn during transport to and from visit – can be removed while in vehicle if necessary
One person preferred to transport Resident and you MUST wear a non-medical mask while in vehicle and when within 6 feet of Resident
All persons the Resident will be in contact with MUST maintain 6 feet social distancing and MUST wear a non-medical mask if that social distancing cannot occur.
Health screening will be completed on person transporting Resident

Thanksgiving Dinner & 6 feet social distancing

You must prepare and provide a plan for social distancing during mealtime as well. The 6 feet rule is in effect AT ALL TIMES during your visit

Return from Visit

Please return at prearranged time, this is imperative due to safe staffing levels and to ensure a nurse is available to complete screening
Transport person please ring our doorbell, you will not enter the facility
Screening questions will be asked to identify any breach in Public Health guidelines

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner, BScN, RN Administrator

Wearing-a-mask-poster-en

HandWashingPosterENGLISH

September 24, 2020

Dear Residents, Families and Friends,

We are very pleased to let you know that the Province of Nova Scotia is allowing residents of long- term care facilities to visit with family in their homes. As with other lifting of restrictions, there are many processes that must be put in place by Rosecrest Communities facilities before we can safely implement this. Therefore, we will begin to allow visits with families in their homes on October 5, 2020, please call our Health Office on or after Monday September 28^th to advise us of your interest in booking a family visit and we will take your contact information and date of visit request. You will receive a call back and asked screening questions such as:

Where the visit will take place: pick up & drop off times – ONLY to and from home
Who and how many people will be attending
The mode of transportation
Prevention and screening protocols
Information for you to provide to others present in your home if applicable
Education on mask wearing & hand hygiene
And more as per the Public Health Requirements for Family Home Visits

Residents and their family members/support persons are required to abide by physical distancing requirements, gathering limits, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, and to wear a mask when physical distancing cannot be maintained. Families or support persons must schedule these visits in advance with the Health Office.

Only residents who are not required to self-isolate and who are not demonstrating signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or other illnesses will be permitted to participate in visits. Due to the requirement for residents to wear medical masks in areas where physical distancing cannot be maintained, individuals with moderate or severe dementia or individuals who are unable to wear a mask for medical reasons may be at increased risk for acquiring COVID-19 while away from facility. When making decisions on visits for these individuals, our care team will assess the resident’s potential risk of COVID-19 exposure and risk for introducing COVID-19 into the facility. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis with the family/resident, and we will explore safe options for visits.

Please help keep your loved ones, and our staff, safe. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN Administrator

September 21, 2020

Dear Residents, Families and Friends,

As I write this update, we have not had any new cases of COVID in the province for close to 2 weeks! That is indeed exciting news! As of this week, we have fully implemented the latest lifting of restrictions for Long Term Care Residents. As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding.

Once an announcement is made by Dr. Strang, we understand that families and Residents are anxious for us to have these in place immediately. It takes a great deal of planning to ensure we are lifting restrictions safely, and as a note, we are made aware of these changes at the same time the public is made aware, therefore it can sometimes take an additional week or two for us to catch up.The following is clarification on the latest changes:

Appointments:

Residents are now able to be escorted by one family member/ SDM to and from appointments. We have been facilitating this for a couple of weeks now and it involves us asking questions about how and where the appointment is taking place, transportation to and from, wearing of masks, etc. This is to ensure we are keeping the exposure risk to a minimum. The expectation is that a Resident going out for an appointment is to go directly to and from the appointment. This is fantastic news because it means Residents can significantly cut down on expenses for transportation and have the support of a loved one. All appointments have to be pre-arranged with the Nursing Department.

Designated Support Person:

This new category of essential visitor is available to anyone who had an established caregiving support role to a Resident prior to COVID. If the Resident newly moves in to our facility, we will consider an established role prior to admission. Please contact the Nursing department for discussion on how to schedule these caregiving visits, we require a signed agreement from designated individuals, and training must occur prior to starting these visits.

Resident Programming Staff and Recreation have done a wonderful job keeping Residents engaged and entertained, and recently we began moving groups of Residents throughout the buildings where possible to provide them a change of scenery. Many of our Residents have enjoyed the beautiful summer weather, but now with fall in the air we are finding ways to move about more inside. We also will host Poll Stations within Public Health guidelines so that all of our Residents have an opportunity to vote in the upcoming elections.

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN Administrator

August 18, 2020

Dear Residents, Families and Friends,

Thank you for your support, understanding and patience during this ever-evolving COVID situation. I am pleased to say our team at Rosecrest has been working very hard over the past few weeks to ensure we are meeting all Public Health Guidelines as required by law. I know the staff are much appreciated, and I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank everyone who has steadfastly come to work during the most challenging time ever experienced in modern healthcare history! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for keeping the Residents safe!

We appreciate this is a difficult situation for everyone. We are doing our best to balance public health requirements and staff safety with family and Resident wishes, if you have questions or concerns about our restrictions, please reach out and speak directly with a manager or Director so that we can work with you and discuss your options.

We have had many successful family/friend visitations outside and continue with calls and video conferencing. Department of Health has provided us with temporary staffing to help meet these requests. As you can imagine, after so many months families are eager to get lots of visits in during the summer, so we are ensuring our time is divided as equitable as possible to support these requests.

We have heard from many family members anxiously awaiting indoor visits and wondering how to get their loved ones to appointments. I want to provide you a quick update on those two pressing issues and clarify our current outdoor visit protocols.

Outdoor Visits – Residents or SDM can have up to 5 outdoor visitors attend each visit

· Visitors will be screened at time of booking appointment and at time of visit

· Visitors will be required to wear face masks – these can be non-medical however if you wish to give your loved one a quick hug, you MUST advise staff and they will provide you and the Resident with a medical mask. If communication is affected by the wearing of masks, you can remove them only if you maintain the 6 foot distance.

· 6 feet social distancing must be maintained among visitors (unless you are in a “bubble” with the other visitors).

· Visits will be limited in duration to 30 minutes each and continually monitored by staff

Indoor Visits – Start date is projected to be the week of August 24th

· Residents can receive up to 3 designated visitors, but only one at a time.

· Visitors must be identified by the Resident or their SDM and must sign an agreement to abide by all restrictions set out by the individual facility as per Dr. Strang’s Public Health orders – this will be sent to you prior to your visit and must be signed and received prior to your visit.

· Screening & control measures include: screening for temperature, travel and other symptoms, wear a medical grade mask (we will provide), gown, visit in a designated room, go directly to and from the room with a staff member in attendance for the entire visit. Other measures may be determined

· Visitors must go directly to and from the designated visiting room only, and we cannot accommodate washroom visits.

· Resident must wear a medical grade mask for the visit & maintain 6 foot distance however you may give your loved one a quick hug upon entering and leaving your visit.

· If the Resident is unable to follow the mask requirement, we will contact public health for advice on how to safely conduct your indoor visit.

Appointments:

Residents are not authorized under the Public Health Act COVID-19 pandemic guidelines to leave the facility as per this excerpt:

Off-Site Visitation

Off-site visitation is not allowed for long-term care residents and RCF residents. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, new recommendations on best practice for off-site visitation for long-term care residents may emerge. The department will continue to monitor best practice recommendations

Residents can, however, receive permission from Public Health to attend critical appointments ONLY. This would not include, for example, anything routine such as non-urgent dental appointments. We also have confirmed families are not allowed under the current Public Health directive to escort residents to appointments. Please contact the manager or Director of your facility to discuss transportation options, any costs associated with transportation are the Resident’s responsibility.

As always, special circumstances might warrant a special request, such as for compassionate reasons, however public health would have to give us explicit written permission to override the current guideline.

We hope this gives you a clearer picture of what to expect so that we can avoid a breach that results in a report to Public Health and the resident being isolated in their room apart from other Residents in their cottage/neighbourhood for up to 14 days and visiting privileges revoked.

There will be another communication sent out in the coming weeks to provide an update on making appointments and details surrounding your visits.

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN Administrator

July 17, 2020

Dear Residents, Families and Friends,

As you may have heard, Dr. Strang announced today there will be some loosening of restrictions regarding visits to long term care facilities as of Wednesday July 22, 2020. Most of these restrictions can be accommodated in our facilities quickly, however indoor visits will require a substantial amount of preparation to ensure we are meeting the requirements set forth by Dr. Strang. We very much appreciate families are anxious to see their loved ones up close, and we are working as quickly as possible to put all safety measures in place. We are continuing to provide calls/skype, window visits and outdoor visits.

Here is a summary of today’s updates:

Small Gatherings of Residents

Since March 15,we have been restricting our Residents to their designated cottage/neighbourhood. Now with this restriction relaxed to allow up to 10 Residents in a “bubble”, we can provide a bit more flexibility in programming inside our home.

Hairdressing services

We will be welcoming our hairstylists back into our homes with strict guidelines in place. They will only provide services for Residents and both will be wearing masks.

Offsite bus trips

Up to 10 Residents/staff for sightseeing only – we will accommodate this if or when we have sufficient staffing to accommodate.

Outdoor Visits – Residents or SDM can have up to 5 outdoor visitors attend each visit

Visitors will be screened at time of booking appointment and at time of visit
Visitors will be required to wear face masks if within 6 feet – more detail coming
6 feet social distancing must be maintained from Resident and one another (unless you are in a “bubble” with the other visitors).
Visits will be limited in duration to 20 minutes each and monitored by staff

Indoor Visits – Start date is to be determined, families will be notified by Recreation or Administration when these are available. Visits will be 20 minutes in duration.

Residents can receive up to 3 designated visitors, but only one at a time.
Visitors must be identified by the Resident or their SDM and must sign an agreement to abide by all restrictions set out by the individual facility as per Dr. Strang’s Public Health orders.
Some measures include: screening for temperature and other symptoms, wear a medical grade mask (we will provide), gown, visit in a designated room, go directly to and from the room with a staff member in attendance for the entire visit. Other measures may be determined
Resident must wear a medical grade mask for the visit.
You may give your loved one a quick hug upon entering and leaving your visit.

If there is a breach of any public health restrictions, we are required to report this to Public Health and you will risk having your loved one isolated in their room apart from other Residents in their cottage/neighbourhood for up to 14 days and visiting privileges will be revoked for that visitor indefinitely.

There will be another communication sent out in the coming weeks to provide an update on making appointments and details surrounding your visits.

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN Administrator

June 10, 2020

RE: OUTDOOR VISITS

Dear Families and Friends,

We are excited to hear the announcement today by Dr. Strang that we can offer outdoor visits for Residents and their loved ones! Although Dr. Strang advised this will be allowed beginning Monday June 15^th, we do require more time to meet the requirements to ensure safety measures are in place. This may be a different date depending on the home, but we anticipate within an additional 1-2 weeks.

A few things we would like to point out:

We will be reaching out to family members over the next week or two to schedule appointments, we appreciate your patience and understanding
We will be limiting visit times initially to Monday- Friday during business hours
Visitors are limited to 2 at a time
All visitors will be screened at time of booking appointment and at time of visit
All visitors will be required to wear face masks – more information will be provided
6 feet distance must be maintained at all times. If there is a breach of the 6 foot distance, no matter how brief, we are required to report this to Public Health and you will risk having your loved one isolated for up to 14 days and visiting privileges will be suspended.
Visits will be limited in duration and will be monitored by staff at all times

There will be another communication sent out later next week to provide an update on making appointments and details surrounding your visit.

Sincerely,

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN Administrator

May 01, 2020

Covid 19 Care Update – Sagewood

Good day to all our Family and Friends at Sagewood,

Firstly, Rosecrest Communities would like to send out our deepest sympathies to any family or friends in our community that were affected by the unthinkable acts of violence that occurred 2 weekends ago. To see a great community come together to heal and show one another support amongst such a trying time is inspiring to us all.

I would like to share with you that here at Sagewood there has been no positive cases of COVID-19. We have strict guidelines that we are following from the Medical Officer of Health to keep our residents and staff safe.

Our recreation staff have been scheduling video chats between families and residents and we are hearing nothing but positive feedback from these meetings. If you would like to schedule a meeting with your loved ones please email Janice.king@rosecrest.ca. Our recreation staff have been sending out a daily news letter and trialing a new site called the Canadian content from Activity Connection it has a ton of resources such as games puzzles, short stories etc… Small group exercises, scavenger hunts and hall ball are just a few of the activities that are being done on each cottage respecting social distancing guidelines. On a daily basis Recreation has a different challenge for the residents that are able to participate in this kind of activity such as Lexicons, word searches, crosswords etc.. Janice has organized a spa day where she washes hair, does nails and is planning on doing a photo shoot in the future. She is also bringing treats to residents, shooting little movies and taking pictures with funny sayings to make our residents smile. Volunteers have been calling in to say hi to some of our residents, which we really appreciate!

Our residents love music! Our Jammers have put together a DVD every week of them recording themselves singing and it is played on all cottages. This is bringing joy to our residents and we love it! We’ve also had people come play music outside in the courtyard.

The sun is shining, and spring is here! We are actively preparing for our upcoming switch to our summer meal menu which is always a hot topic and is something our residents always look forward to. Residents are brought for a walk outside on nice days for them to enjoy the fresh air and at times have outside activities.

If anyone has any further questions or concerns please feel free to give me a call at 902 802-6261 or email Nadine.henwood@rosecrest.ca . Thank you all again for your continued support and patience during this time, stay safe.

Nadine Henwood

Director of Care, Sagewood

April 30, 2020

Covid 19 Care Update – Magnolia

Good day to all our Family and Friends at the Magnolia,

I would like to share with you that here at Magnolia there has been a gradual positive shift in our resident’s everyday life. I am happy to announce that as of today we continue to have no resident’s ill with Covid- 19 and our most recent positive staff member remains off work and recovering well. We remain under the direction of public health and daily we are working hard at maintaining new processes and guidelines so that we keep everyone here healthy and safe.

Our residents are seeing less isolation rooms and some routine practices being reinstated, and they absolutely love this!! Our recreation staff have been scheduling video and window chats between families and residents and we are hearing nothing but positive feedback from these meetings. We have had some families bring some beautiful homemade signs and balloons that have brought smiles to our residents faces as they look out the windows. There has also been a steady display of sidewalk chalk art that is very enjoyable for our residents and a topic of conversation. In keeping with good infection control measures and abiding by social distancing regulations we are also trying to bring back some activities such as 1:1 card games, Bingo and exercises for our residents.

Our residents love music! Recently we have added “Music of the day” for our residents to enjoy. This is where we play a song overhead for the whole facility to hear that either a resident or staff have requested. So, if you know of a song that you know your loved one would enjoy hearing, please contact us and we can make that happen! Our recreation department is also working at trying to bring back some other music related programs so stay tuned for that.

The sun is shining, and spring is here! we are actively preparing for our upcoming switch to our summer meal menu which is always a hot topic and is something our residents always look forward to. Gardening plans are also on their way as well so hopefully soon our residents will have another beautiful area they can look out to and enjoy.

If anyone has any further questions or concerns please feel free to give me a call at 902 476 4665 or email taralee.walsh@rosecrest.ca. Thank you all again for your continued support and patience during this time, stay safe.

Taralee Walsh

Director of Care, The Magnolia

April 23, 2020-Enfield, NS

Administrator’s Update

Hello Families and Friends,

Although all earlier cases have all been resolved, we want you to be aware that a Magnolia employee has reported a community acquired COVID-19 illness. The employee has been isolated and is recovering at home, and there has been no identified exposure to Residents at the Magnolia. Our employee only worked on one cottage as per our cohorting efforts to limit movement of staff. As per protocol, all families on that cottage were notified, and all staff have been made aware. We do not anticipate any significant staff shortages as a result of this positive test result.

We continue to be vigilant in our pandemic practices to assure that your loved one and our staff’s safety is our first priority. As our previous updates have indicated, we have been working through this pandemic with Public Health to ensure we are meeting all requirements issued by the Medical Officer of Health.

All Residents continue to be screened twice daily and all staff are screened upon reporting to work. Anyone with symptoms of any kind are reported to Public Health, and are screened for COVID-19.

If you have any questions pertaining to this, please do not hesitate to contact Taralee Walsh at taralee.walsh@rosecrest.ca or call at 902-476 4665. We will continue to keep you informed of the situation.

Thank you for your support,

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN

Administrator, Rosecrest Communities

April 8, 2020-Enfield, NS

Join our Pandemic Relief Team

Rosecrest Communities is currently accepting applications for our Pandemic Relief Team to assist/work in our three long-term care facilities in Nova Scotia: The Ivy Meadows in Beaver Bank, The Sagewoodin Sackville and the Magnolia in Enfield.

We are currently accepting applications for the following:

RN Pandemic Relief
LPN Pandemic Relief
CCA, Care Assistants and Long-term Care Aids

Hours: Casual, Part-Time, 3 Month Term

Start Date: Immediately

Hours: Days, evenings, nights, weekends; many flexible options.

Please Note: Salaries for each role are determined by DHW funding, and commensurate with experience.

Previous housekeeping, food service/handling experience an asset.

Interested candidates please provide a resume and apply to: Angela.Fraser@Rosecrest.ca Thank you for your interest with Rosecrest Communities.

April 6, 2020-Enfield, NS

Administrator’s Update

Hello Families and Friends!

I know it has been awhile since our last update, my apologies for the delay. We have been keeping very busy here at the Magnolia with the flurry of activities necessary to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our home. Our priority is, as it should be, on the immediate needs of residents and staff safety.

To date, there are still two Residents and three staff that have tested positive. Everyone is continuing to recover and families of those individuals are kept up to date. There have been no new cases reported since those original cases. All Resident swabs came back negative and so far all staff swabs are negative. There are a few staff still awaiting results. All Residents are being screened twice daily and anyone with symptoms of any kind are reported to their attending physician and public health, and are screened for COVID-19. Families are made aware at the time.

We currently have no recreation or physiotherapy services, and limited occupational therapy services. We anticipate this will be reinstated next week. In an effort to contain the spread of this disease, we have many of our regular staff off so that we can ensure they are not affected. We have welcomed many nurses and caregivers into our home to care for the Residents including nurses from the Nova Scotia Health Authority, The VON, other nursing homes and agencies. The management team have spent a great deal of time orientating staff to the facility procedures and Residents to ensure continuity of care.

As part of the ongoing investigation by Public Health, they are contacting attendees at a celebration of life held at the Magnolia earlier in March, in the event there is any connection. These types of investigations take time, and we will update you once public health has concluded their investigation.

We are working to ensure safety first, and are hopeful that by next week, once we have more of our regular staff back, we can find creative ways to have families communicate with their loved ones living at the Magnolia.

Thank you to everyone who has sent thanks to the caregivers and well wishes, and to the community of Enfield for encouraging us and supporting us at this difficult time.

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN
Administrator, Rosecrest Communities

April 1, 2020 – Enfield, NS

Dear Friends and Family of Rosecrest,

After a few days of watching and waiting on testing, the Magnolia Continuing Care Community is breathing a collective sigh of relief (however brief) as we remain at only two residents diagnosed with COVID-19, with all other resident tests coming back as negative.

We have one additional staff member results coming back as positive to bring our total count to three staff members diagnosed with the virus. Those staff are isolating at home and we wish them a safe and speedy recovery.

We know this has been a harried time as you await hearing news on friends and loved ones living and working at Magnolia and we appreciate your kind wishes and concern. Our residents continue to persevere through this challenging period when they are a little more isolated from loved ones and familiar activities.

Testing of our remaining staff continues, but we have received two additional negative tests along with the previous count of seven. We will continue to update as tests come back from Public Health.

As many of our other staff remain in isolation for various reasons, we have worked together with our many partners including NSHA, Continuing Care, Department of Health and Wellness, VON and more to ensure staffing levels can allow for continued care of our residents.

Rosecrest is working to maintain vigilance in our best practices developed when dealing with this virus. The virus continues to dictate what our precautions look like, but we learn more each day through the expertise and knowledge gained from our peers in healthcare across the country.

We are far from through this, and your continued efforts to flatten the curve by enacting self isolation and social distancing only when necessary will go a long way towards keeping our community healthy.

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN
Administrator, Rosecrest Communities

March 31, 2020 – Enfield, NS

Dear Friends and Family of Rosecrest,

As of today, the Magnolia Continuing Care Community continues to hold at two staff members and two residents diagnosed with COVID-19. There is another resident who has presented with some cough symptoms and is being monitored. All residents at Magnolia have been swabbed and those tests have been submitted to Public Health. We await the test results over the coming days and will continue to share as we know more details.

Testing of the remaining staff continues as there are some that still remain in the queue. We want to applaud our staff for their efforts to maintain care of our residents in this unusual time. As many of our other staff are in isolation, we have worked together with the Department of Health and Wellness to ensure staffing levels can allow for continued care of our residents.

We also anticipate an additional supply of PPE for employees from the Department of Health to ensure continued protection of staff and residents as we work to contain the virus.

It is difficult knowing that some of the most vulnerable in our community are so close to this virus that has seemed so far away for so many months. We appreciate everyone’s efforts at continuing to flatten the curve by staying home. Our residents are coping well to this point and we appreciate your understanding that our primary focus is caring for our residents, and we are not always able to communicate with families beyond these daily updates.

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN
Administrator, Rosecrest Communities

March 30, 2020 – Enfield, NS

Dear Friends and Family of Rosecrest,

As of today, the Magnolia Continuing Care Community has two staff members and two residents from the same cottage who have tested positive for COVID-19. Public Health has now identified that community spread of the virus has happened in NS, therefore it is vital to continue following all guidelines to work towards flattening the curve of COVID-19.

We are happy to report that seven other tests from the initial case have turned out to be negative, but those individuals continue to be monitored. Our staff members and residents who have tested positive are managing well in isolation. We are working with Public Health officials to source replacement staffing while many are unable to return to work as they selfisolate to keep our community safe.

Rosecrest would like to thank the community and its members for positive thoughts and support as we navigate a unique situation. We are proud of our staff and the extended Rosecrest community in adopting measures to keep our residents and staff safe.

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN
Administrator, Rosecrest Communities

March 28, 2020 – Enfield, NS

Dear Friends and Family,

As of March 28, the Magnolia Continuing Care Community has one staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19. Our staff member has been isolated appropriately and is managing well. We are working with Public Health officials to determine if any resident or staff who were in close contact with this individual has been affected. We are taking full precautionary measures as directed by Public Health and we are working closely with the Department of Health & Wellness and Nova Scotia Health Authority to ensure the safety of all residents and staff. All families and staff have been notified of the situation.

Thank you for your continued support throughout this time. We are proud of our staff and the extended Rosecrest community in adopting measures to keep our residents and staff safe and will continue to ensure that we contribute towards flattening the curve.

Tracy Bonner BScN, RN
Administrator, Rosecrest Communities

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