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.
This weekly update includes:
- COVID-19 Variants – What we know about COVID-19 variants of concern.
- Recreation & Activities - An update on our return to safe recreation and activities as the need to stay active, intellectually stimulated, and socially connected never ends.
- Weekly Shout Out - Sharing words of gratitude messages from residents and families to our staff.
Thank you all for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Cindy Kahlon,
Administrator
Harmony Court Estate & Care Centre
COVID-19 Variants
What We Know About COVID-19 Variants of Concern
Several new "variant" strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been identified in British Columbia and around the world. These variants are similar to but more infectious than the strain we've experienced so far.
Evidence is still emerging on the effectiveness of our vaccines on these variants. It's important to remember the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are only a few months old, just like the variants. There is much we do not yet know, though researchers around the world are investigating.
Early investigations so far appear to suggest the current vaccines may be somewhat less effective against some of the new variants in terms of preventing all symptoms of COVID-19. However, even against the variants, these vaccines still appear to be extremely effective at preventing severe cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Research is emerging, and there are many vaccines being developed as we speak, so we will continue to watch the emerging literature closely. This is a positive sign. At the same time, it is also a reminder we all cannot simply wait for vaccines to arrive. We need to keep focused on following the measures in place and limiting in-person interactions whenever we can.
The bottom line is that it's very likely we will see a spread of these variants in our communities as well. We all need to be very careful until more is known about how well the vaccines fight these variants.
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Recreation & Activities
Our recreation team is working hard to create engaging activities that enrich the mind, body and spirit. We are taking a measured, phased approach to recreation activities. Each week we will be reassessing how these are going and make any adjustments that may be required.
In both Harmony Court Estate (Independent Living) and the Care Centre (Long Term Care), we are cohorting residents into groups. They may enjoy the activities with the same residents each time. All cohort recreation programs will involve no touching of each other or shared objects.
During all interactions, staff continue to practice exceptional hand hygiene, wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), and are using extreme diligence in enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures.
Download the Care Centre Weekly Programs:
Download the Estate Activity Calendar:
Weekly Shout-Out
Thank you to the Resonate Church members for sharing the love! They provided individual Valentine's day gifts for each of our residents.
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