Dear Residents and Families of Holy Family Home:

RE: Introduction of Revised Visitor Guidelines – Effective August 5, 2020

Recognizing the Province of Manitoba announcement of Phase 4 – Restoring Services, Holy Family will begin to allow indoor visitation in the resident rooms for 2 “designated family caregivers” which is defined as those identified by the resident or substitute decision-maker as essential partners in care, providing the resident with active, regular and meaningful support.  There has been careful and thoughtful preparation as we adapt to the new visitation guidelines to ensure mitigation of risk while enhancing the quality of life for our residents by having increased accessibility for families. Holy Family Home will be increasing cleaning of high touch areas and implementing additional protocols to manage the risks as we adjust to these changes. 

On August 5, 2020, indoor resident room visits will begin for those designated family described above from 10 am – 2 pm – Monday through Sunday. Staff from Holy Family Home will begin contacting all residents and/ or decision-makers to determine who will be the 2 designated family caregivers in the next few days.  As per provincial guidelines, each resident will only be able to name two individuals with no exceptions.

The following processes have been developed and will be expectations for all indoor designated family caregiver visits:

What to Expect When Coming to Holy Family Home as a Family Designated Caregiver?

  • All designated visitors will be screened on arrival including questions related to COVID-19 symptoms (fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, vomiting or diarrhea, etc.), exposure to positive COVID-19 individuals and taking of your temperature with an infrared thermometer. 

Please do not attend the home if you are ill. If screening is not passed, you will not be permitted to visit the resident.

  • You will be asked to sign in and provide identification.  In signing into the facility, you are acknowledging you have accurately answered the screening question and will follow the public health requirements of:
    • Maintaining social distancing as much as possible.
    • Wearing the medical or non-medical mask at all times while in the home (both indoors and outdoors).
    • Completing hand hygiene on entrance, after signing in, upon arriving to the floor of the unit and throughout the visit.
  • You will receive a visitor tag that will identify you as a screened designated visitor.
  • You will receive a hand-out regarding good hand hygiene practices, social distancing and wearing masks appropriately.
  • If you are bringing items for the resident, they will need to be sanitized.  There will be a table for drop off.  Staff will sanitize as able and the items will be delivered to the resident’s room at a later time.

After screening is completed:

  • You will be expected to proceed directly to the unit where the resident resides ensuring limited contact with surfaces on the way.
  • Please do not go to common areas or visit with staff or other residents.
  • When using the elevator, there is a limit of 2 persons at a time.
  • Maintain social distancing of 2 meters or 6 feet as much as possible.

When Arriving to the Resident Unit:

  • Complete hand hygiene when arriving on the unit and ensure your mask is worn appropriately.
  • Proceed directly to the resident room.
  • If you wish to take the resident outdoors, the courtyard is available during the hours of 10 am – 2 pm Monday through Sunday.  Please proceed directly to the courtyard, wearing your mask at all times, limiting contact of surfaces, following social distancing practices and practicing frequent hand hygiene.  Please follow the same expectations when returning to the unit.
  • If you are assisting the resident with lunch, staff will bring the tray to the room and remove it following the meal.  Access to the servery and other areas will not be permitted.
  • If you require washroom facilities, you may only use the washroom in your resident’s room.
  • Hugs and holding hands are permitted but it is requested that social distancing be maintained as much as possible.

When Leaving the Home:

  • All designated visitors must leave by 2 pm. 
  • Please proceed directly to the front entrance from the resident’s room and sign out as you exit the home.

Other Visitation:

Visitors other than the 2 designated family caregivers will be able to see the resident through booking outdoor visits and up to 4 visitors may participate at a time with consideration of social distancing.  Effective August 5, 2020, we will be changing the days for outdoor visits to Tuesday 10 am – 4 pm, Thursday 11 am – 7 pm and Saturday 10 am – 4 pm.  Scheduled indoor visits and window visits will be stopped at this time. Virtual visits for out of town family may be arranged on a case by case basis.

Compassionate visitation during end of life will continue to follow current processes.

We will be closely monitoring the implementation of visitor restrictions and will consider further expansion if this can be managed within safe operations.  We are striving to find a balance for everyone which is very complex when caring for 317 residents in our home. We appreciate your anticipated cooperation and patience as we move forward.  Your kindness, understanding and adherence to the directives will enable us to facilitate this successfully. We understand the benefits of family involvement for our residents and the importance of socialization in the quality of their life and well-being.  We look forward in partnering with you to enhance the continued care and comfort of our residents during these unusual times.

Sincerely,

Tara-Lee Procter (Maciuszonek)
CEO – Holy Family Home