RE: Update from The Alexander Pandemic Preparedness Committee
Dear Residents, Staff, Families & Friends of The Alexander,
We are thrilled to report that our voluntary Aspen COVID-19 testing was completed last week, and we remain COVID free! Thank you to everyone who participated in the Commonwealth funded initiative and thank you to Aspen Medical staff for carrying out the program in a very safe and efficient manner. Aspen commended The Alexander during their visit and said we were the most professional organisation they had visited to date so well done to everyone involved.
We have had some enquiries this morning regarding to changes to our visiting restrictions. It is with great caution that we re-introduce visiting at this stage as we must still take controlled steps to avoid a COVID Outbreak. With this in my mind, we continue daily screening of all residents for COVID symptoms using the Safer VIC COVID Screening Tool. All concerns are rapidly escalated to our Registered Nurses and GPs for investigation and both residents and staff continue to be tested wherever necessary.
We are pleased to report that inline with the Directions from the Chief Health Officer, Care Facilities Directions (No 12) we will slowly introduce scheduled visiting for residents and families. Please see the most recent Care Directions on our website for your information. We continue with visitations for residents for compassionate reasons and the Care Managers, either Yan Zhang, or Diana Joaquin, will contact you directly should this affect you.
Visiting hours as of week commencing 5th October 2020 will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays, between the hours of 9.30am to 12.30pm and by appointment only (for contact tracing purposes). Please email jenny@thealexanderagedcare.com.au or phone reception on 9548 7366. We will continue to monitor community transmission of COVID cases and review the schedule again in 2 weeks’ time. Even with low rates of new COVID-19 cases across the metro area, unfortunately for many Residential Aged Care Services in Victoria, there is still active and new cases of COVID-19 being identified.
Excluded visitors include the following people:
- A person diagnosed with COVID-19 and has not yet given clearance from self-isolation
- A person who has arrived or returned to Australia within the previous 14 days
- Within the previous 14 days the person had known contact with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID 19
- If the person has a temperature higher than 37.5C or symptoms of acute respiratory infection
- The person is under aged 16 years
- If the person has been tested for COVID-19 and has not yet received the result of test
All visitors will be screened prior to entry using The Alexander Visitor Declaration form. This form can be completed online prior to your appointment and you will need to show evidence of your 2020 Influenza vaccination to enter the home.
Zoom & window visits will continue Mondays and Thursdays between 9.30am and 12.30pm by appointment. Please phone reception to make your booking.
We would like to introduce our new Lifestyle Coordinator, Amy Connolly. Amy has extensive experience from her 16 years of working in the Aged Care sector. We are very exited to welcome her on board and look forward to watching her bring ideas to life. Amy is currently interviewing assistant team members to cover a 7-day program so watch this space!
Our Pandemic Preparedness Committee continue to meet 3 times per week and review new information received from the Commonwealth and State Departments of Health and other medical advisory bodies. We continue to update and develop policies and procedures unique to our home that meet best practice and recent recommendations. If you would like any information on our preparedness procedures, please email jane@thealexanderagedcare.com.au
We will continue to update you as new information comes to hand. Please remember to call the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080 24 hours a day, seven days a week for information. Should you have concerns or are feeling distressed regarding the coronavirus outbreak, the Department of Health has an assistance page to help you maintain your mental health. To access, go to https://headtohealth.gov.au/covid-19-support.
We cannot end this letter without a big shout out for our amazing staff who continue to push through the challenges that 2020 (and our Pandemic Preparedness Committee) has thrown at you. We have such great respect and appreciation for all your effort and dedication to looking after all the residents at The Alexander.
We have done so well and must continue to protect others and help stop the spread by wearing a face mask, practising good hygiene, continue social distancing & self-isolate if needed.
Yours sincerely,
