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. Information and announcements – this week, we are sharing important information on the new restrictions in Alberta as well as changes to designated family/support persons visitation and recreation programming at our AgeCare communities.
2. Recreation programming as the need to stay active, intellectually stimulated, and socially connected never ends.
3. A weekly shout-out to celebrate the great work and activities happening at our AgeCare communities.

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

Sincerely,

AgeCare Communications

Changes to Designated Family/Support Person Visitation

In response to the rising cases of COVID-19, and to align with the latest changes from Alberta Health Services to limit designated visitors in hospitals and other facilities, AgeCare has also made the decision to restrict visitation in our communities. Effective immediately, visitation inside our buildings will be limited to one designated family/support person per resident with the following exceptions:

1. Residents with caregivers/companions, including those who need support due to challenges living with dementia, are allowed one designated family/support person and one pre-approved caregiver/companion.
   
2. Imminent end of life residents, including those in Hospice Care, are allowed up to three designated family/support persons.

If a community is on COVID-19 outbreak, directions from the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) will supersede these visiting options. For example, residents who are in isolation may not be permitted to have visitors. Family and loved ones can continue to meet through scheduled virtual visits.

These measures are in place until December 18^th, upon which they will be reviewed and reassessed. 

To identify who the designated family/support persons or caregivers/companions will be, resident agents must call the booking line for their AgeCare community:

We recognize that these restrictions are very difficult for residents, families and loved ones, but please know, our goal remains to be the continued safety of those who live and work in our communities. Your compliance to these new visitor restrictions ensures we are doing all we can to protect our communities from the spread of the virus.

For questions regarding these changes to visitor restrictions, please contact your AgeCare community directly.

Virtual Visits

To ensure residents and family can stay connected during this time, we continue to offer scheduled virtual visits. Residents and families can book one virtual technology session (Skype, Facetime, Email, Social Media, Phone Calls, etc.) per week. This limitation ensures we have the recreation and social work staff to support all residents in seeing their loved ones virtually. All virtual visits will continue as long as the site is staffed appropriately and care needs are met.

• To book a virtual visit with your loved one, contact the recreation team at your AgeCare community.

New Mandatory Restrictions for Alberta

As you are probably aware, due to the rate of community transmission and to protect the health system and slow the spread of the virus, Alberta has declared a state of public emergency amid the second wave of the pandemic. As such, effective November 24^th, new mandatory public health restrictions are in place across the province.

It is essential that our staff, families, and residents review and understand their responsibility in supporting these new restrictions. Additionally, we would like to highlight the following changes:

# 1 - No indoor social gatherings are permitted in any setting
This includes private homes, public spaces and workplaces.

Work and support group meetings are not social gatherings, but attendance should be limited and public health measures followed.

Indoor close contact must be limited to people in the same household as you. People who live alone can have up to 2 of the same non-household contacts for the restriction duration, but should remain distanced and follow public health measures.

Socialize outdoors or in structured settings, like restaurants or cafes, which are also subject to legal limits and require that you follow public health guidance.

# 2 – Outdoor gatherings cannot exceed 10 people
Outdoor visits must not have an indoor component, such as backyard gatherings that require movement in/out of homes. Attendees should remain distanced at all times and follow public health measures.

Examples of social gatherings include:

• parties: birthday, retirement, baby showers, house/backyard
• holiday or religious celebrations
• ceremonies of any kind
• wedding or funeral receptions
• luncheons or potlucks

Albertans have a responsibility to help slow the virus's spread and make sure the health system can continue supporting patients with COVID-19, influenza and many other needs. There is a time lag between when people get infected and when new cases are identified. This means the cases we see today were infected up to 2 weeks ago.

The greater the community spread, the more likely it will infect loved ones most at-risk of severe outcomes.

New Measures at a Glance

Unless otherwise stated, the following mandatory restrictions came into effect on November 24^th. They will be in place for at least three weeks.

To review these measures in more detail, please visit the Alberta.ca website https://www.alberta.ca/enhanced-public-health-measures.aspx

How to Stay Safe

Stay safe by avoiding the Three Cs and practicing the Three Ws.

Avoid the Three Cs:

1. Closed spaces with poor ventilation
2. Crowded places
3. Close contact situations

Note: the risk is higher where these overlap.

Practice the Three Ws:

1. Wash your hands
2. Watch your distance
   (2 meters/6 feet apart)
3. Wear your mask

Recreation Programming

Our recreation team is working hard to create engaging activities that enrich the mind, body and spirit while reducing the risk of transmission and having the least impact on resident well-being.

At this time, recreation activities will be held in individual neighbourhoods where possible and in larger spaces to ensure that all participants can maintain physical-distancing. All residents perform hand hygiene before they attend recreation activities and when they leave to return to their rooms.

To ensure residents can participate in more programs more frequently, while keeping group participation sizes small, recreation is implementing a come-and-go approach, where smaller groups of residents rotate through the same activity at different times.

Recreation teams are looking at each resident's social network within the community, such as those they choose to eat and visit with outside of activities, and where possible, encouraging them to participate in programs they enjoy together.

View the December Recreation Calendar for your AgeCare Community:

• AgeCare Columbia – Dec 2020
• AgeCare Glenmore – Dec 2020
• AgeCare Midnapore – Dec 2020
• AgeCare Orchard Manor – Dec 2020
• AgeCare Seton – Dec 2020
• AgeCare Valleyview – Dec 2020
• AgeCare Walden Heights - 2020

Weekly Shout Out

This week's shout out is from AgeCare Seton in Calgary, Alberta.

This year, we will be celebrating the holiday season in a number of meaningful ways. In addition to our Christmas trees that are decorated and displayed on all of our neighbourhoods, we will also be featuring a Winter Wonderland Tree display on the main floor, which will be decorated by each of our teams.

Our Care teams will be decorating our dining rooms, and our Recreation team will be painting festive scenes on windows throughout the building

We are also holding a 12 Days of Holidays event for both staff and residents. We will be playing festive holiday music starting next week and, along with other AgeCare communities, supporting the Discovery House through their Adopt-A-Family initiative.

Plus, we will be taking the spirit of the holidays to each neighbourhood, offering shopping opportunities through our Travelling Bistro and Seton Christmas Wishlist.