Statement of Purpose

Caregivers and visitors are an important component to the well being of the residents. They support the social, mental and emotional well-being of the residents by reducing potential negative impacts related to social isolation.        

Definitions   

Essential Caregiver: A person identified and designated by the resident/Power of Attorney – a family member, friend, neighbour – who provides important personal, social, psychological and/or physical support, assistance and care.

Support Worker: A person who enters the home to provide support to the critical operations of the home or provide essential services to a resident; A person visiting a very ill resident for compassionate reasons including, but not limited to end of life care.

General Visitor: A person who is not an essential visitor, and is visiting to provide non-essential services to a resident.

Procedure               

1. Residents or their Substituent Decision Maker/Power of Attorney have a right to choose who is a visitor and who will be deemed as an essential caregiver.               

2. Essential Care Givers must follow the Homes mandatory vaccination policy of at least 3 COVID-19 doses. Essential caregivers are permitted to go throughout the Home. It is strongly recommended that essential caregivers remain up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations.

NOTE: In an effort to support Essential Caregivers who choose not to have any COVID -19 vaccinations, and who desire to enter the Home, our visitor policy has been adapted to support these interactions. Non-vaccinated essential caregivers are permitted into the Home for a visit in MacDonald Hall with the resident. Visits can occur within the outlined visiting hours with all surveillance practices in place including medical mask at all times, rapid antigen testing each day the individual enters the Home and screening procedure adherence. Non-vaccinated essential caregivers will not be permitted to visit if the resident is living on an outbreak home area or on isolation themselves.

3. General Visitors must follow the homes mandatory vaccination policy of at least 2 COVID-19 doses. General Visitors, who meet the vaccination requirements are permitted to go throughout the Home but are not permitted into a Home area in outbreak or visit a resident that is maintaining isolation precautions. It is strongly recommended that general visitors remain up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations.

4. Essential Caregivers and general visitors are strongly encouraged to sign up for the Family Newsletter to ensure they are up to date on all protocols and overall health status of the Home. Hard copies of the Family Newsletter are available in the Resource area in the front lobby.

5. Follow the Policies and Procedures outlined by the home based on the best practice guidelines of the Ministry of Long-Term Care or KFLA Public Health guidelines.

6. Must complete screening at the main entrance before entry by answering all questions truthfully and pass the screening to enter into the home.

7. Complete a Rapid Antigen Test as directed by the home, unless under 1 year old.

8. Essential Caregivers must complete and watch Mandatory training videos on how to wash hands and apply appropriate PPE monthly.

9. General visitors will be provided an IPAC pamphlet at the time of their visit to review prior to entry.

10. Essential Caregivers must submit a caregiver form, with proof of the required number of COVID-19 doses and complete online mandatory IPAC training prior to being approved as a designated essential caregiver.

11. Non-vaccinated Essential caregivers will submit a non-vaccinated essential caregiver form to be designated as an essential caregiver, with visiting to occur in – MacDonald Hall only.

12. All visitors and essential caregivers will be entered into an electronic database to log entry into the home that supports contact tracing if required.

13. If a resident has been deemed end-of-life, no COVID-19 vaccination is required. The person visiting a resident at the end-of-life is not required to pass the COVID-19 screening questions to enter the home. Rapid Antigen Testing will still be required of all visitors if resident’s health status is non- urgent, to ensure proper PPE is provided to the visitor if a positive COVID-19 result is determined. This ensures safety to the residents and staff of the home. Visitors must adhere to the room limit capacity when visiting residents at the end-of-life.

Visiting Hours

14. Essential Caregivers may enter at the posted times, some exceptions can apply.

15. General Visitors: Posted in the Family Newsletter, elevators and website.

16. Should a non-vaccinated essential caregiver wish to visit with a resident who requires assistance out to MacDonald Hall, there will need to be a pre-booked visit using the JMPC online booking tool – picktime. The link to this online booking tool can be found in the Family Newsletter. This will ensure staff are able to facilitate the resident getting to the visiting area.

Health and Safety

17. Everyone in the Long-term care home, whether staff, student, volunteer caregiver, support worker, general visitor or resident, has a responsibility to ensure the ongoing health and safety of all by following infection control policies and procedures.

18. Masks are mandated for staff, students, volunteers, essential caregivers, general visitors and contracted worker that enter the home. Medical grade masks to be worn are provided by the home. When an essential caregiver enters a resident room and is one-on-one with the resident, the essential caregiver may remove their mask; otherwise, a mask must be worn at all times.

19. Residents are encouraged to wear a mask when in group settings and programs, although not mandatory.

20. There is no drinking, eating, smoking by general visitors, essential caregivers while inside JMPC.

21. General Visitors and non-vaccinated essential caregivers are not permitted to enter the resident home area in outbreak or if a resident is on isolation precautions due to an infectious disease.

22. Essential Caregivers can enter outbreak areas one at a time.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Not applicable. 

ANNEXES: Not applicable.

BROCHURES: Not applicable.