We are aware of the changes to the government guidelines related to caregiver visits. The summary provided at the government press conference provided highlights but not all the details. The press coverage that followed didn’t help explain the intent and understanding of the caregiver visit process creating significant confusion and frustration for everyone. The process is designed to be relatively restrictive in order to make the visits as safe as possible for all concerned - the resident, caregiver visitor and staff.
“Caregivers should be defined as family members and/or support individuals who have a clearly established pattern of involvement in providing the resident’s care in the facility and supporting the resident’s emotional wellbeing, health, and quality of life prior to the pandemic.”
We will be supporting caregiver visits at Oakwood Terrace to the limited amount of family members that fit the criteria. The visits will be scheduled and we will contact the caregivers in the near future to start the process.
We also all need to be aware that the global pandemic continues to grow, the situation in Nova Scotia is good at present but we all need to work together to minimise the chance of a COVID-19 outbreak at Oakwood Terrace. We continue to evaluate every visit and visitor to Oakwood Terrace to give us the best chance of keeping this deadly disease outside of the home. Caregiver visits do present benefits to residents but at the same time, there is considerable risk to residents, staff, and visitors from increasing access to the home. You might find our stance frustrating at times but our decisions are focused on providing the safest environment for all.