Dear Residents and Families,

We remain committed to providing updates to our residents, families, and staff at AgeCare. As such, we are providing weekly updates to keep you all informed on what is happening at our communities and organization-wide.

1. Thanksgiving Message – A reminder of public health rules and how to stay safe this weekend.
2. Vaccine Eligibility – More groups are now available for the third dose of vaccine.
3. Rapid Antigen Screening – We encourage ALL visitors, regardless of their vaccination status, to participate in RAS testing.
4. Visitation, Outings, Overnight Stays, and Screening – Guidelines for a safe visit.
5. Recreation Calendars - Staying active, intellectually stimulated, and socially connected.
6. Weekly Shout-Out – A weekly shout-out to all of our staff at AgeCare.

We hope these weekly updates are helpful. Thank you all for your continued support.

Sincerely,

AgeCare Communications

Thanksgiving Message

As we head into Thanksgiving Weekend, we wanted to remind everyone of the current provincial guidelines for gatherings. As cases continue to grow throughout the province, we must remain diligent and take steps to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

Here is some guidance and tips for you and your loved ones so that you can have a happy and healthy long weekend.

Alberta Government: Gatherings Restrictions:

Indoor social gatherings

• Vaccinated: Indoor private social gatherings are limited to a single household plus one other household to a maximum of 10 vaccine-eligible, vaccinated people and no restrictions on children under 12.
• Unvaccinated: Indoor social gatherings are not permitted for vaccine-eligible people who are unvaccinated.

Outdoor social gatherings

• Outdoor private social gatherings are limited to a maximum of 20 people, with 2-metre physical distancing at all times.

Staying Safe

#1 Avoid the Three Cs to Reduce the Risk

Did you know three factors can increase the risk of COVID-19? Your risk further increases when any of these three Cs overlap. To stay safe, you should avoid:

• Closed spaces with poor ventilation
• Crowded places
• Close contact situations

#2 Practice the Three Ws to Stay Safe

Small adjustments practiced regularly can make a big impact. By making the three Ws part of your routine throughout the day, you can help to keep yourself and those around you safe:

• Wash your hands frequently and for a minimum of 20 seconds
• Watch your distance (2 meters/6 feet apart) from others outside of your household/building
• Wear your mask when in public, especially when physical distancing can’t be maintained.

Vaccine Eligibility

As announced earlier this week, Albertans age 75 and older and First Nations, Inuit and Métis people age 65 and older can begin booking for a third dose at least six months after their second dose.

We have already seen the impact of third doses in our communities and urge anyone who is eligible to get their third dose. Receiving the third dose will boost immunity levels and improve protection against COVID-19.

For any of our Retirement Living residents who have not already received their 3^rd dose, we are working with AHS to set up clinics for these. You will receive this information directly from your community leadership.

Rapid Antigen Screening

We encourage ALL visitors, regardless of their vaccination status, to participate in RAS testing. Fully vaccinated people with no symptoms can test positive for COVID-19. A rapid test means protecting your family, friends, co-workers and community from the asymptomatic spread.

Remember:

• You MUST be asymptomatic to receive a RAS test.
• If you have ANY symptoms, you CANNOT visit or come on-site. You must book a lab test through AHS. Learn more
• Documentation WILL NOT be provided to prove a negative result. You cannot use a negative RAS test from our communities to participate in the restriction exemption program.

Visitation, Outings, Overnight Stays, and Screening

Visitation

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.

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.

Resident Outings, Overnight Stays and Screening

Residents can engage in any activity off-site as they would pre-pandemic. This includes public outings, overnight stays and more. Residents are also no longer required to be screened upon re-entry to the building or required to quarantine if they have gone off-site.

We encourage everyone to continue to follow all public health guidance while off-site.

Recreation Programming

Thanksgiving is an excellent opportunity to take a moment and recognize those around us who make a positive difference in our lives. We want to take this moment and thank our incredible staff.

Thank you to our AgeCare staff for the dedication and energy you bring to work every day – even in these challenging times – while continuing to provide high-quality care and services to our residents.

We want each of you to know how much we appreciate you and your unrelenting efforts in ensuring the safety, quality and security of all our residents within our AgeCare family.

This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for you.