Dear Residents and Families,

Welcome to our new readers!

This August, our AgeCare family grew with the addition of four communities in interior British Columbia. Please join us in welcoming the residents, their families and the staff of AgeCare Brandt’s Creek Mews, AgeCare Cariboo Place, AgeCare Monashee Mews and AgeCare Mount Ida Mews.

We are pleased to share that we now have five amazing communities located in British Columbia. As such, we are moving to a provincial version of our weekly update. While there may be a few changes to the look of this update, we remain committed to providing important information on what is happening in our province, our communities, and organization-wide.

This weekly update includes:

1. COVID-19 Vaccination FAQs – Answering your questions about vaccines.
2. Rapid Antigen Screening for Staff - Information on rapid testing coming to AgeCare.
3. Visitation Guidelines – How to stay safe during your visits
4. Recreation & Activities - An update on our recreation and activities as the need to stay active, intellectually stimulated, and socially connected never ends.
5. Weekly Shout Out - Sharing good news stories and gratitude for our residents, staff and community.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Sincerely,

AgeCare Communications

COVID-19 Vaccination FAQs

With our medical system under strain, now more than ever it is critical to protect yourself from serious complications caused by COVID-19. Vaccination continues to be the best way to prepare your body should you get COVID-19.

Q: Vaccinated people are still getting COVID-19. What’s the point in getting vaccinated?

A: While partially and fully vaccinated people can get COVID-19 their outcomes are hugely better. British Columbians who are not fully vaccinated make up over 83% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations. The vaccine gives your body the best chance at fighting off COVID-19 should you get it.

Q: The vaccine is too new – I don’t think it’s safe.

A: While COVID-19 is new, vaccine technology has been used for over 100 years. The vaccines followed all of the same approvals and testing all vaccines must pass. The mRNA vaccines – Pfizer and Moderna - work by teaching your existing cells how to make a protein that triggers the immune response needed to fight off COVID-19. Once your cells learn this, they will break down the mRNA, and it will be gone from your body.

Q: I’ve had COVID-19 I don’t need the vaccine

A: While having had the disease offers some protection against future infection, there’s not enough data about that level of protection to know when it tapers off or how protective it is against new variants. We have seen individuals who had COVID-19 get re-infected and become sick. Getting fully immunized offers the best protection possible from the virus.

Rapid Antigen Screening for Staff

In accordance with the Public Health Order (PHO), AgeCare began testing all unvaccinated/partially vaccinated staff using Rapid Antigen Screening (RAS) before they began their shifts. Unlike traditional lab Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, rapid testing can be done onsite and produce results in as little as 15 minutes.

The goal of introducing Rapid Antigen Screening is to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 positive staff as early as possible. This will lead to less spread throughout our communities.

As this is a new program, we wanted to take the time to answer some questions that you may have.

Q: Who will receive rapid testing?

A: PHO has mandated that this program is only intended for unvaccinated/partially vaccinated asymptomatic staff of continuing care facilities. Visitors do not yet qualify for rapid testing and will continue to be screened as usual prior to visits.

Q: If staff have a negative rapid test will they still wear their usual PPE?

A: YES. As we have seen in practice, the window to COVID-19 to infect can be up to 14 days. All routine and additional PPE is still required. A negative screen does not exempt staff from following public health measures.

Q: I’ve heard rapid tests can give false positives – what will happen when staff test positive?

A: Because rapid testing can produce false positives (showing someone is COVID positive when they are not), any staff who received a positive rapid test will be asked to isolate immediately and book in for a PCR lab test to confirm the results.

We are pleased to offer Rapid Antigen Screening as another tool to prevent COVID-19 from entering our communities.

Visitation Guidelines

Please note – communities on outbreak may have different visitation restrictions in effect. Contact your community or sign up for email updates to stay informed on the latest information.

Visits no longer need to be booked ahead of time. All visitors will continue to be screened upon entry to the building. If your visit occurs outside of reception hours, please submit your screening documents to the nursing station.

Fully Immunized

• Must wear a medical mask in all indoor public/common areas, including to and from the resident’s room.
• Can remove mask while visiting the resident in their suite.

Not Immunized or Partially Immunized

• Must wear a medical mask at all times, including visiting with the resident in their suite or indoor public/common areas.

During your visit, it is STRONGLY recommended that visitors:

• Wear a mask when visiting, including in a resident’s suite.
• Be fully vaccinated with two doses (the second dose received a minimum of two weeks prior).

During your visit, visitors are required to:

• Wear a medical mask when in common areas or while travelling around the building.
• Maintain physical distancing while in groups.
• Practice proper hand hygiene frequently.
• Whenever possible, residents residing in shared suites-(semi-private), visits should occur in a designated area or outside. If the visit occurs in a shared suite, the number of visitors may be limited to maintain physical distance from the other residents.
• Continue to self-screen for COVID-19 after your visit. Notify AgeCare if any symptoms arise within 14 days of the visit.

Location:

• Visits can occur in the resident’s suite, designated areas, or outside.
• Residents residing in shared suites-(semi-private):
  • Only visitors for one resident can be in the room at any one time;
  • Visits for each resident must be staggered in the multi-resident room.

When entering, visitors must be screened and follow ALL safe visiting practices and COVID-19 protocols.

Harmony Court
Time:

Recreation & Activities

Our recreation team is working hard to create engaging activities that enrich the mind, body and spirit. We are continuously looking for ways to reduce the risk of transmission while having the least impact on resident well-being.

PLEASE NOTE: At this time, visitors are not permitted to attend indoor recreations programming, including concerts. Thank you for your understanding. 

Check out our September Calendars!

Weekly Shout-Out

Did you know we rapid test hundreds of staff each week at our communities?

Thanks to our incredible rapid antigen screening staff, we’re keeping the asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 out of our communities. Next time you stop by for a visit, make sure you say thanks to these incredible teams!