Letters to Families

Letters to Families2020-07-24T14:16:10-04:00

Shelburne provides compassionate long-term care in Shelburne, Ontario

2708, 2020

Letter to Families – August 27 Update

Over the past several weeks, it has been our great joy to welcome families back to our home, and to share stories of the activities and celebrations that have been organized for our residents. And as we continue to work towards supporting our families and keeping them connected with their loved ones, I would like to take this opportunity today to share with you a brief update about our communications going forward.

As of Monday, families will only receive COVID-19 related updates by letter in the following circumstances:

  • Updates or changes are made to government or public health orders;
  • Our outbreak status changes; or
  • Our home IPAC protocols change.

These updates will also be posted to our website here: https://shelburneltc.ca/letters-to-families/

In the event that you ever have any questions, we can be reached at 519-925-3476, and a staff member will be happy to assist you. If there are urgent updates about your loved one, a member of our care team will contact you by phone.

We know that families have also greatly enjoyed following the activities of their loved ones, and we will continue to post videos and photos of our events to our Facebook page, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ShelburneLTCRC. We encourage everyone to check back frequently for updates, and follow us to receive notifications when new photos are posted.

708, 2020

Letter to Families – August 7 Update

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.

3107, 2020

Letter to Families – July 31 Update

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 10th, 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 10th, and we look forward to another wonderful afternoon with good food, good friends and good conversation.

2407, 2020

Letter to Families – July 22 Update

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.

207, 2020

Letter to Families – July 2 Update

Dear families of Shelburne Long-Term Care,

We are happy to share with our community that our home continues to remain free of the COVID-19 virus, and our residents and staff are all doing well.

Our Canada Day celebrations on Wednesday were an immense amount of fun, and we are so happy to have had the ability to arrange another special day for everyone in our home community.

As we continue to settle into our new routines, we will continue to provide families with the support and communication they rely on.

And as always, we are here to answer any questions you may have about your loved one, and we are also happy to hear from our family partners if you have any comments or feedback for us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling us at 519-925-3746.

Sincerely,

Stacey Rooyakkers
Executive Director

3006, 2020

Letter to Families – June 30 Update

Dear families of Shelburne Long-Term Care,

This Wednesday is Canada Day, and we are extremely excited to be celebrating the country we love and call home. While this year’s Canada Day may not be marked by the fireworks and festivities that we are normally treated to, we are continuing to find unique and innovative ways to celebrate holidays like this.

As part of the festivities that day, our residents will be given a special t-shirt, and we are arranging an ice-cream social. Lunch that day will also feature a very special Canada Day-themed dessert item.

As always, our care staff will ensure that physical distancing and health and safety measures are being followed at all times during the celebrations, and we look forward to inviting families to join us on the special day for a window-side visit if they wish.

We would also like to remind our family partners that if they have any questions about our activities, the health of a loved one, or the outbreak prevention protocols we have in place, to reach out to us at 519-925-3746 and a member of our team will be happy to answers any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Stacey Rooyakkers
Executive Director

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