Letters to Families

We are very excited to introduce you to a new member of our team, Dr. James “Jim” Ayukekbong, who has joined the Shelburne LTC family as our new Director of Infection Prevention and Control.

Jim joins us from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Elliott Lake, where he served as the Infection Prevention and Control, Quality and Risk Lead, providing technical support and guidance on a number of infection prevention and control (IPAC) initiatives, including the development of a brand-new emergency preparedness plan for COVID-19 at the hospital.

Jim holds a PhD in medical science from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and is certified with the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC).

We are exceptionally grateful to have Dr. Ayukekbong bring his knowledge and experience to our home, and we look forward to working with him to monitor and adapt our IPAC practices to meet the highest standards possible.

We would also like to let families know that we are re-implementing our Care Conferences, and members of our nursing staff will be reaching out to you over the next two to four weeks to make arrangements for those meetings.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 519-925-3746 and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.

In the 14 days since we launched the Pen Pal Program, our residents have received more than 40 letters, and our staff have taken great joy in spending time with them, reading the stories and words of kindness together.

Letters have come from not only our local community, but as far away as Quebec and Nova Scotia! We’ve even received letters from friends as young as six.

We are inspired by and grateful to everyone who has reached out through the written word, and we hope you will be patient as we work to respond to this tremendous outpouring of love.

We are also very excited to share with our families that we have relaunched our lunch club, and residents have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to enjoy a meal in a safe, physically distanced setting with their friends within the home.

Our first meal, held on July 10^th, was catered by Champ Burger, and last Friday’s meal was supplied by Guest Wok in Orangeville.

We are planning to host our next luncheon the week of August 10^th, and we look forward to another wonderful afternoon with good food, good friends and good conversation.

We are pleased to inform you that the Government of Ontario has now revised its directive on visitation at long-term care homes. The first phase involved allowing outside visits to occur between residents and family members at homes across the province. As of July 22, 2020, the province will allow indoor visits to resume, subject to certain conditions outlined below. We know you are eager to be reunited with your loved one after several weeks of separation due to the COVID-19 virus. At the same time, we will be requesting that all visitors follow these protocols to limit the potential for exposure to the virus:

• Visitations must be pre-scheduled with the home outside of mealtimes, be limited to 30 minutes in length and will be allowed if the home is not be in a current COVID-19 outbreak. The exception is for visits to a resident who is at end-of-life.
• In order to promote equitable access, residents will be limited to one visit per week in either an indoor or outdoor setting, up to 2 people at a time.
• For indoor visits, visitors must verbally attest to staff that the visitor has tested negative for COVID-19 within the previous two weeks and subsequently not tested positive. Please note that the home is not responsible for providing the testing.
• For outdoor visits, visitors will no longer be required to attest to negative COVID-19 test as previously directed. Visitors will still be required to wear a face covering and must maintain the appropriate physical distance (2 metres).
• Visitors must complete the attached screening questionnaire, which will be given to home staff upon each visit. Failure to complete the questionnaire or to pass the screening criteria will mean the visit must be rescheduled.
• Visitors must comply with long-term care home infection, prevention and control protocols, including proper use of face or surgical/procedural masks and use of hand sanitizer before and after the visit. While hand sanitizer will be provided at the home, visitors will be expected to provide their own face coverings for outdoor visits.
• With the exception of service animals, animals may not accompany a visit.

Please contact the home at 519-925-3746 to discuss details of arranging a visit with your loved one or to get answers to any additional questions you may have. We thank you for your continued patience and support for our staff and residents during this difficult time.