Dear Residents and Families:

With the arrival of the new omicron variant in Manitoba, COVID-19 remains a risk to the health and wellness of our personal care home residents.

Residents having short absences from the Home for non-essential reasons continues to be strongly discouraged.   The protocols for short absences have been updated by Shared Health and the process below has been revised to reflect these changes.  Short absences will only be considered for those residents who are fully vaccinated as per Shared Health guidelines.  To request a short absence, the following process needs to be followed:

  • Requests for short absences must be made 24 hours in advance during regular business hours for approval by either nursing management or social work.
  • Absences can be requested for the hours between 9 am to 8 pm.
  • Fully vaccinated Designated Family Caregivers or General Visitors will enter the Home to be screened and provided with a medical mask.  There should be a maximum of two fully vaccinated persons in the vehicle with the resident.
  • Absences are to be to one destination only.
  • All individuals aged 12 and up who are physically present at the gathering must be fully vaccinated. For individuals aged 5-11, vaccination is strongly recommended.
  • All individuals at the gathering must not have any cold/flu symptoms or other symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19. 
  • Masks must be worn and physical distancing maintained.
  • The resident will be screened upon returning to the Home. 
  • In circumstances where guidelines or public health requirements are believed not to have been followed, an assessment of measures required in order to support safe return to the facility will be completed. Measures may include a required isolation period at the discretion of the facility.

NOTE: Guidance is regularly being updated as new, highly infectious, variants are identified. We are closely monitoring the emergence of the Omicron variant, as well as any restrictions placed on recently returned travelers, which may impact your ability to visit our facility or participate in a resident’s social leave. Information can change quickly and we appreciate your cooperation as we share updated guidance or make necessary changes to protect the health and safety of residents over the coming weeks.

Please keep Holy Family Home in your thoughts and your prayers. 

Sincerely,

Tara-Lee Procter (Maciuszonek)

Chief Executive Officer